Team

Bernard Deltour

Partner

Member of the Brussels Bar

bd@industriouslaw.com
T: +32 475 79 10 73

Bernard Deltour mainly specializes in environmental law, in which he is considered one of Belgium’s leading practitioners.
He is particularly recognized for his extensive experience with waste and soil pollution issues. Bernard has vast experience in transactional, litigious as well as administrative practices, at the European and Belgian federal and regional levels. Thanks to his fluency in both Dutch and French, he acts in cases in Belgium’s three regions. He also has an excellent and professional command of the English language.

The vast majority of Bernard’s clients are private companies and trade associations. He is particularly familiar with waste management utilities
and the chemical, pharmaceutical, energy and distribution industries.

He holds a law degree from the University of Leuven (KU Leuven) and has been a member of the Brussels Bar since 1988.

He also gained experience as a member of the personal staff of a regional minister.

Bernard Deltour is constantly involved in supporting policy development as well as legislative and regulatory projects, based on a comparative law approach and constantly seek to facilitate the implementation of widely acceptable, workable and efficiently enforceable provisions of environmental law.

Due to his vast experience, he has been called to chair the board of TRACIMAT VZW, a non-profit organization which deals with the identification, qualitative certification and tracing of demolition waste in Belgium’s Flemish Region and to the management committee of SOLTRACING SAS,
a French company commercializing a method for the identification, qualitative certification and tracing of excavated soils in France.

His international work is supported by a vast network of highly regarded specialists across the globe in the EU, North and South America, Africa, Asia and Australia.

Practice areas

  • Environment

Languages

  • French, Dutch, English

Key publications

  • “Over “grondstoffen”, “afvalstoffen” en “secundaire grondstoffen”: a never ending story…”, in Deketelaere, M. (ed.), Recente ontwikkelingen in het afvalstoffenrecht, die Keure, Brugge, 1995.
  • “Déchets, pollution du sol et pratique notariale”, in Lejeune, Y. (dir.), Pratique notariale et droit administratif, Larcier, Bruxelles, 1998.
  • “Trop de droit tue le droit; Enkele pretentieloze bedenkingen bij een paar milieurechtelijke bepalingen”, in Deketelaere, K. (ed.), Feestbundel milieurecht, Die Keure, Brugge, 2005.
  • ”Renewable Energy. The promotion of Electricity from Renewable Energy Sources – Belgium”, International Energy Law and Taxation Review, iss.9, 2007.

Recent Conferences

  • « Bodemsanering : wie is verantwoordelijk voor wat ? welke innovaties bepalen de toekomst ? » (Brussels, Intersoil 2018 – November 2018 – présidence).
  • « Apercu des règlementations et législations environnementales : implications sur les entreprises ») (Namur, AIG Academy – February 2017).
  • « Déchets industriels : quelle réglementation pour une économie circulaire durable » (Beez, Plateforme européenne de l’économie circulaire – February 2017).
  • « La gestion des sols en Régions flamande, wallonne et Bruxelles-Capitale » (Genève, Intersoil 2015 – June 2015).
  • « Matériaux, Produits et Déchets : Quelques réflexions à propos de l’économie circulaire » (Liège, Liège Creative – April 2015).
  • « La commune et la gestion des sols pollués : un bref aperçu » (Floreffe, Formation BEP Environnement – October 2014).
  • « De regionale handelsvestigingsvergunningen ontleed – Hoe valkuilen en problemen vermijden » (Brussels, COMEOS – June 2014).
  • « Brussels Expertise : EU Environment & Energy Regulation, Impact on Japanese Businesses » (Tokyo, Japan – June 2012).
  • « Renewable Energy Regulations in Belgium : The Various Shades of Green in a Small yet Federalized Country » (Frankfurt, Germany – June 2012).
  • « Le droit des déchets revisité: d’où venons-nous? Où allons-nous? » (Liège, Belgium – May 2012).
  • « Legal issues relating to the safety of nuclear installations – Decommissioning » (Paris, France – September 2011).

Market Recognition

  • Bernard Deltour is lauded by peers as « very well acquainted with environmental law in all three regions. He is quite exceptional. » His expertise is in environmental and planning law with a focus on waste and soil contamination – Chambers Europe 2016 – Belgium – Environment (Band 1 of Ranked Lawyers).
  • Sources praise Bernard Deltour for his prowess in contentious cases – Chambers Europe 2012 (Band 1).
  • Clients hail practice head Bernard Deltour as “the perfect environment lawyer,” praising his commercial awareness, enthusiastic approach and personable style, as well as his land contamination knowledge and overall understanding of the environmental regulatory regime” – Chambers Europe 2011 (Band 1).

Industrious Team