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Dr. Christopher Wolters
Dr. Christopher Wolters
Rechtsanwalt
Senior Associate, Public Procurement and International Trade Law
T +49 30 214 802 700
E christopher.wolters@blomstein.com
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Christopher Wolters is a specialist in public procurement and international trade law. He is a member of AIJA.

In procurement law, he advises both the public sector and companies from all industries. He regularly publishes and lectures on European and German public procurement law. The spectrum of his advice covers all phases of a public procurement procedure, starting with the examination of the necessity of a Europe-wide invitation to tender, the conception and accompaniment of a public procurement procedure, the representation before the public procurement review bodies and the admissibility of contract amendments after the award of the contract. He has particular experience in the fields of public procurement law litigation (review proceedings) and compliance (exclusion, debarments and self-cleaning). His expertise in public procurement law is not limited to German public procurement law. He also provides advice on procurement law on international and european level.

In the field of trade law, Christopher advises companies from all industries. The spectrum of his advice covers export control and sanctions law issues as well as German foreign direct investment control (FDI). He has particular expertise in advising in connection with public investigations on allegations of breach of foreign trade law and foreign trade compliance.

Christopher is admitted to the bar in Germany.

Languages: German, English, French, Spanish

References

  • Advising contracting authorities (including KfW, German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action) on the analysis of a possible obligation to issue Europe-wide invitations to tender of contracts, conducting award procedures, the declaration of exclusions and debarments as well as defending in review proceedings

  • Advising various defense contractors (including C.G. Haenel, Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft, German Naval Yards Kiel) as well as companies of the healthcare sector (inter alia Recare Deutschland) on their participation in public procurement procedures and representation before the review bodies

  • Advising various companies on debarment and exclusions, including self-cleaning measures to be carried out to regain the ability to participate in procurement procedures (inter alia under German procurement law and in the context of a World Bank debarment)

  • Advising the Monitoring Trustee in various European Commission remedy cases (inter alia, case AT.39816 – Gazprom)

  • Advice on German FDI in transactions

  • Advising multinational operating companies in the context of investigations by German authorities for alleged violations of German or European export control laws

  • Representation of various companies (including Vattenfall) before German fiscal courts on energy tax law issues

CV

After finishing high school and the German compulsory military service, Christopher studied Law at the universities of Tübingen (Germany), Lausanne (Switzerland) and Münster (Germany). While writing his doctoral thesis on International Humanitarian Law, he worked as a research assistant for different international corporate law firms. He completed his legal traineeship (“Referendariat”) at the Higher Regional Court of Berlin, during which he also worked for the German Embassy in Tehran (Iran). Christopher holds a PhD (Dr. iur.) from the Freie Universität Berlin. He joined BLOMSTEIN as an associate in 2016. In 2021, he served as Head of Legal for Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft mbH for seven months as part of a secondment.

Publications

  • Germany chapter, in: Lexology Getting The Deal Through – Public Procurement, since 2022 (with Pascal Friton)

  • Regular contributions to Literaturbrief of forum vergabe e.V. (2016-2023)

  • Verwertung von virtuellen Währungen im Strafverfahren – Zulässigkeit sowie kapitalmarktrechtliche und vergaberechtliche Rahmenbedingungen, NZWiSt 7/2023, p. 246 (with Jana Ringwald, Carola Rathke, Anika Patz, Pascal Friton)

  • Software im Visier der Exportkontrolle – eine außenwirtschaftsrechtliche Black Box, AW-Prax 1/2023, p. 23 (with Laura Louca)

  • Voraussetzung für die Zulässigkeit einer von den Vorgaben des europäischen Vergaberechts abweichenden Regelung auf nationaler Ebene, Anmerkung zu EuGH Urteil vom 06.10.2021 – C-598/19, jurisPR-VergR 2/2022 (with Pascal Friton)

  • Unterlassungsanspruch bei rechtswidrigen Vergabesperren, Anmerkung zu BKartA Bonn, Beschluss vom 19.08.2020, VK 2-59/20, jurisPR-Compl 1/2021 (with Roland Stein)

  • Rechtsschutz gegen Vergabesperren, VergabeR 6/2020, p. 884 (with Benedikt Voss)

  • Unterlassungsanspruch bei rechtswidrigen Vergabesperren, Anmerkung zu BGH, Urteil vom 03.06.2020, XIII ZR 22/19, jurisPR-Compl 5/2020 (with Roland Stein)

  • Gesteigerte Bewertungsanforderungen infolge der "Schulnoten-Rechtsprechung", NZBau 6/2020, p. 339 (with Roland Stein)

  • Cooperation in Defence and Security Procurement among EU Member States, EPPPL 1/2020, p. 24 (with Pascal Friton and Niklas Andree)

  • Wirkung und Voraussetzungen der freiwilligen ex ante-Transparenzbekanntmachung, NZBau 9/2019, p. 560 (with Florian Wolf)

  • Sauber, aber nicht ganz rein? – Vergaberechtliche Selbstreinigung bei Kartellrechtsverstößen, Anmerkung zu: VK Münster v. 25.04.2019 – VK 2-41/18, in: jurisPR-Compl 3/2019 Anm. 3 (with Roland Stein)

  • Vergaberechtliche Selbstreinigung bei Kartellrechtsverstößen, Anmerkung zu: EuGH 4. Kammer, Urt. v. 24.10.2018 – C-124/17, in jurisPR-Compl 2/2019 Anm. 2 (with Roland Stein)

  • Commentary on §§ 19, 20 and 30 VSVgV and § 11a VOB/A Section 3 (VOB/A-VS), in: Burgi/Dreher (eds.), Beck’scher Vergaberechtskommentar, 3rd ed. 2019 (with Pascal Friton)

  • Die Grundzüge des Wettbewerbsregisters, in: forum vergabe 2018 - Jahrbuch (with Pascal Friton)

  • Verbotswidriger Nachunternehmereinsatz kann zum Ausschluss bei einem späteren Vergabeverfahren führen, Anmerkung zu: VK Hessen, Beschl. v. 04.03.2018 – 69d-CK-25/2017, in jurisPR-Compl 4/2018 Anm. 3 (with Roland Stein)

  • Vergaberechtliche Selbstreinigung bei Kartellrechtsverstößen, Anmerkung zu: Generalanwalt Manuel Campos Sánchez-Bordona, Schlussanträge v. 16.05.2018 – C-124/17, in jurisPR-Compl 3/2018 Anm. 4 (with Roland Stein and Josefa Dengler)

  • The German Register of Competition and Its International Context, EPPPL 2/2018, p. 119 (with Pascal Friton)

  • Zur Rügeobliegenheit bei de facto–Vergaben, VergR – Zeitschrift für das gesamte Vergaberecht 2/2018, p. 106 (with Florian Wolf)

  • Das Gesetz zur Einführung eines Wettbewerbsregisters, KripoZ 4/2017, p. 244-252

  • Umfang der Kooperationspflicht bei der vergaberechtlichen Selbstreinigung, Anmerkung zu VK Südbayern, Beschl. v. 07.03.2017 – Z3-3-3194-1-45-11/16, jurisPR-Compl 2/2017 Anm. 1 (with Roland Stein)

  • Der territoriale Anwendungsbereich des Rechtes der nichtinternationalen bewaffneten Konflikte, Dissertation, 2018

Presentations

  • Moderation of the panel “Defense Procurement in the EU: Does it really differ that much?”, AIJA Public Procurement Law Seminar: Public Procurement – Trends and Future, Athens, 15 September 2023

  • The role of public procurement in facilitating access to healthcare, AIJA Half-Year May Conference, The Hague, 26 May 2023

  • The Foreign Subsidies Regulation – An instrument to create a resilient economy or protectionism?, CELIS NOW "The Age of Open Strategic Autonomy", Berlin, 12 May 2023

  • Kapazitätsaufbau mit Planungssicherheit – die vergaberechtliche Perspektive, BDSV Fördermitgliedertag, Berlin, 4 May 2023

  • AIJA International Arbitration Annual Conference & Public Procurement Law/Healthcare and Life Sciences Seminar, Berlin, 8 October 2022: Moderation of the panel “Litigation and arbitration as an obstacle for the procurement of healthcare products/services”

  • DWT - Marineworkshop “Nutzung in die Zukunft denken: Materielle Einsatzbereitschaft und Zukunftsfähigkeit der Flotte”, Linstow, 21 September 2022: Panel discussion “Zwei Juristen, eine Meinung?” (with Martin Conrads) and short presentation on “Marinebeschaffung unter dem Eindruck des Ukraine-Kriegs”

  • AIJA Half-Year May Conference “The Future of Mobility - Navigating a Revolution”, Gothenburg, 19 May 2022: “FDI in the Automotive Sector”

  • Defence and security division of forum vergabe e.V. (Gesprächskreis Verteidigungs- und Sicherheitsvergaben des forum vergabe e.V.) discussion on “100 Milliarden Sondervermögen - eine Herausforderung für die Vergabepraxis”, Berlin, 28 April 2022: “Art. 346 AEUV - neueste Entscheidungen der VK Bund und des OLG Düsseldorf”

  • 8. Deutscher Vergabetag (DVNW), Berlin, 4 November 2021: Workshop “Da geht noch mehr! Warum Verhandlungsverfahren oft falsch strukturiert werden und wie man sie am effektivsten nutzt” (with Josefa Dengler and Jakub Krumrey, ECB)

  • AIJA IPTMT and TRADE Annual Conference “Global perspective on IP and technology” / “The impact of tech on retail”, Porto, 8 October 2021: “Supplementary contractual clauses for public tenders” (Panel: “Retail Tech and Software (as Service) Contracts”)

  • DWT Tagung “Joint & Smart Procurement”, Bonn, 31 August 2021: Moderation of Panel 1 (Besondere Aspekte der Beschaffung im Bereich der Verteidigung und Sicherheit einschließlich Art. 346 AEUV) and 3 (Multinationale Programme (Besonderheiten des Programms, Einbindung Subunternehmer und KMUs, Rechtsschutz, PESCO/EDF, NATO))

  • Hamburger Vergabetag, 21 January 2021: “Workshop 3: Die Wahl der Verfahrensart und ihr Einfluss auf den Markt” (with Daniela Holzer-Barth, Hays and Dr. Christoph Schwabe, KfW)

  • AIJA Commissions Month, 10 November 2020: “Session on exclusions and debarments”

  • International Bar Association Conference, 4 November 2020: “The risk of exclusions and debarment in public procurement”

  • DWT Cyber Defence Conference 2019, Bonn, 10 December 2019: “Cyber-Security in der Beschaffung”

  • 6. Deutscher Vergabetag 2019, Berlin, 24/25 October 2019: “Cyber-Security in der Beschaffung” (with Roland Stein)

  • Nottingham Conference Global Revolution IX, Nottingham, 18 June 2019: “Cooperation in Defence and Security Procurement among EU Member States: Applicable Law and Legal Protection” (with Pascal Friton)

  • 4. IT-Vergabetag 2019, Berlin, 16 May 2019: “Totes Recht? – Plädoyer für eine Wiederbelebung der dynamischen Beschaffungssysteme und e-Auktionen” (with Florian Wolf and Eduardo Lucio Faccion)

  • IT-Konferenz 2018 by DWT – Informationstechnik im Kontext hybrider Bedrohungen, Bonn, 11/12 December 2018: “Der rechtliche Rahmen für Cyber-Security in Deutschland und Europa - Bestandsaufnahme und Bedeutung für Beschaffungsvorhaben” (with Roland Stein)

  • Aktuelle Rechtsprechung des EuGH, webinar for forum vergabe e.V. (with Roland Stein)

  • 5. Deutscher Vergabetag, Berlin, 25/26 October 2018: “Ex-Ante-Transparenzbekanntmachung – Chancen, Risiken, Rechtsschutz” (with Florian Wolf)

  • 3. IT-Vergabetag 2018, Berlin, 26 April 2018: “Compliance und Integrität in der IT-Beschaffung” (with Florian Wolf)

  • Global free trade? Limits on the Import of Goods and Capital, Słubice, Polen, 31 July 2017

  • Regular contributions to “Literaturbrief des forum vergabe e.V.”

  • Regular Lecturer on Export Control Law and Customs Debt in the Programme “Customs Specialists” (Hamburger Zollakademie) (2017-2022)