Bert is a Professor of Law at the Faculty of Law and Criminology of KU Leuven. He lectures Commercial law, EU Law and European Economic Law in Brussels, Leuven and Kortrijk. He is a co-director of Consumer Competition Market (CCM) and is a co-promotor of the CE Center – Steunpunt Vlaanderen Circulair. He serves as a member of the Faculty’s doctoral and culture committees (2020-2024). Bert studied law (lic.iur. 2003) and philosophy (lic.phil. 2004) at KU Leuven.

Bert’s research focuses on European economic and private law and the twin transitions. He has published extensively in this field. Bert is a co-author of 'Commercial Practices and Consumer Contracts' (in Dutch) and a co-editor of the CCM series. He is a member of the editorial board of DAOR, DCCR and TEP. 

The IIIEE is proud to host Bert this spring and looking forward to future collaborations.

Bert Keirsbilck: An extract of publications, studies, papers and engagements

Recent selected publications focusing on sustainable production and consumption, circular economy and servitisation, include:

• B. Keirsbilck, E. Terryn (eds.), Circular economy and consumer protection, Antwerpen, Oxford, Intersentia, 2019, 300 p.
• B. Keirsbilck, E. Terryn, E. Van Gool, Consumentenbescherming bij servitisation en product-dienst-systemen (PDS), Tijdschrift voor Privaatrecht, 2020, Vol. 56, iss. 3/4, pp. 817-899.
• A. Michel, B. Keirsbilck, E. Terryn, Sustainable Consumption and Consumer Protection Legislation - How can sustainable consumption and longer lifetime of products be promoted through consumer protection legislation?, 2020, Publisher: European Union
• E. Van Gool, A. Michel, B. Keirsbilck, E. Terryn, 2022. CCM KULeuven Report for the EU Commission Consultation on Sustainable consumption of goods - promoting repair and reuse Legislative Initiative.
• B. Keirsbilck, E. Terryn, “Duurzaamheid en consumentenrecht”, in Droit et durabilité, Larcier Intersentia,  2022, 433-494.
• B. Keirsbilck, E. Terryn, “Implementation of Directives 2019/770 (DCD) and 2019/771 (CSD) in Belgium”, EuCML 2022, 162-168.
• B. Keirsbilck, E. Terryn, “Belgium”, A. De Franceschi and R. Schulze (eds.), Harmonising Digital Contract Law, Nomos Verlag, 2023, 77-97.
• B. Keirsbilck, E. Paredis, “The regulation of B2B relations in the agri-food chain in Belgium”, in A. M. Mancaleoni and R. Torino (eds.), Agrifood market regulation and contractual relationships, RomaTre 2023, 179-210.
• B. Keirsbilck, E. Terryn, Servitization and circular economy: legal and economic challenges, Antwerpen, Intersentia, 2023, 214 p. 
• B. Keirsbilck, E. Terryn, L. Van Acker, The legality of “100 % recycled” and “100 % recyclable” claims on water bottled in plastics – legal analysis under EU Directive 2005/29/EC on unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices, 2023, 28 p.

Bert participated in numerous European studies in consumer law, including the ‘Fitness check’ of European consumer law (Study to Support the Fitness Check of EU consumer and marketing law, study for the European Commission, KU Leuven (with E. Terryn, J. Stuyck, C. Willet, P. Rott), 2017). 

Bert regularly organizes and presents papers at national and international conferences. Recent talks related to sustainability and circular economy include:

• “The information and marketing stage: information requirements, labelling and green claims”, Conference Consumer Protection in a Circular Economy, 4 May 2018, Leuven.
• “Consumer protection in a circular economy”, Circular Economy Day (European Commission), 6 March 2019, Brussels.
• (with E. Terryn), “Circular Economy & Servitization”, Conference Circular Economy and the Law, 6 June 2019, Ferrara.
• “Contractual rights and liabilities in circular business models”, Ius commune conference, 28 November 2019, Leuven.
• (with E. Terryn, J. Eyckmans en S. Rousseau), “De shift naar circulaire bedrijfsmodellen. Economische en juridische aspecten”, PUC Kortrijk, 18 November 2020.
• (with E. Paredis), “De rol van de consument in de verduurzaming van ons voedselsysteem: het (on)gemak van duurzame voedingskeuzes”, TPR-colloquium 2021, “Privaatrecht 2050. De weg naar ecologische duurzaamheid”, 20 May 2021.
• “Consumentenrecht en duurzaamheid”, TBH Studiedag, 6 May 2022, Brussels.
• (with E. Terryn), “Initiatief duurzame producten”, Hefboom Beleid CE Center, Brussels, 19 May 2022.
• “Empowering consumers for the green transition: state of play and assessment”, 10 years EuCML, 15 December 2022, online.
• “Digitalisation and the green transition”, Consumer Summit, Brussels, 28 March 2023.
• “Empowering consumers to buy sustainable products”, 30 March 2023, Ferrara and online.
• (with E. Paredis) “Combating food waste and food loss”, Sustainability, Food Systems and the Law, 26 April 2023, Rotterdam.
• “Proposal for a Repair of Goods Directive”, 30 May 2023, VBO, Brussels
• “The role of upholding sustainability in global textile value chains”, Tiblurg GVC conference, 18 January 2024.

He currently supervises seven PhD theses (four as the main supervisor and three as a co-supervisor). Four of them directly relate to sustainability and circular economy: 

• Promoting the origin of food in the internal market (E. Paredis);
• Contractual rights and obligations in circular business models (H. Slachmuylders);
• Extraterritorial application of corporate sustainability due diligence obligations (E. Irambona);
• Product liability in a circular economy (E. Van Gool)

Until now, he was the (co-)supervisor of two successfully defended PhD theses, one directly related to sustainability and circular economy:

• A. Michel, Premature obsolescence, 2022.
• S. De Pourcq, Protection of businesses against unfair trading practices, 2018.

See here for accessible publications.