Sonny Gaarslev advises Danish and international clients on all aspects of competition, State aid and EU law. Sonny has a wealth of experience advising clients in many different sectors in Denmark, the EU and internationally.

Sonny specialises in internal investigations (audits), dawn raids, civil and criminal competition law litigation, including leniency procedures. He also has extensive experience advising dominant undertakings. In transactions, Sonny advises from a holistic perspective from the early phases of the transaction to the final clearance under the merger control rules, the FDI rules and the recent FSR rules. Sonny also advises on Unfair Trading Practices ("UTP") in the agricultural and food supply chain and on cases concerning access to payment services as regulated by section 63 of the Danish Payment Services Act.

In State aid law, Sonny stands out for his extensive experience in handling privatisations and different types of restructurings, and he also advises client on how to navigate the new Foreign Subsidies Regulation, including by mapping relevant funds flows. Furthermore, Sonny assisted clients in obtaining crisis aid during the COVID-19 pandemic, and he is an experienced adviser on the block exemption and de minimis regulations and on issues involving notifiable aid and claims for recovery. His particular insight into the Danish and EU political systems brings unique perspective to the handling of State aid and EU issues concerning free movement, etc.

Always preferring a proactive approach, Sonny tackles and advises on legal issues from a 360-degree vantage point, focusing on uncovering each client's concrete needs in the context of the situation. At the heart of his advisory services is the conviction that legal expertise can and must support commercial success, which requires advice that is balanced and ‘to the point’. It is important for Sonny to provide fast, effective and cost-conscious advice in close dialogue with the client and other stakeholders.

Sonny has a long track record of handling complex processes, which he drives forward through effective cooperation with all stakeholders and parties, including public authorities and the national and European courts of justice. In this context, his large international network is often extremely valuable, and he also draws on his network in cross-border disputes, where he regularly acts as both lead counsel and local counsel.

Finally, Sonny is an active member of Kromann Reumert's ESG group, providing advice on all aspects of competition, State aid and EU law relevant from an ESG perspective – be it, for example, sustainability collaborations between competitors and within the industry.

Practice areas

• Corporate crime, investigations and compliance
• EU Law
• Competition Law
• State Aid Law
• Foreign Direct Investments
• ESG - Environmental, Social and Governance

Industries

• The Public Sector
• The Financial Sector
• Energy & Infrastructure

Career

• Partner, Kromann Reumert, 2024
• Director, attorney, Kromann Reumert, 2022-2023
• Senior Attorney, Kromann Reumert, 2021-2022
• Attorney, Kromann Reumert, 2017-2021
• Kromann Reumert, 2012-

Education

• Right of audience before the Danish High Court, 2021
• M. (magna cum laude), specialising in competition law, competition economics, and competition regulation, Brussels School of Competition, 2020
• Graduate Diploma in Business Administration, specialising in Organisation and Management, Copenhagen Business School, 2018
• Admitted to the Danish Bar, 2017
• Master of Laws ( jur.), University of Copenhagen, 2014
• London School of Economics and Political Science, 2013

Languages

• The Scandinavian languages
• English

Activities

• Experience with Advisory Board positions
• Member of CCBE's Young Lawyers committee
• Member of CCBE's Permanent Delegation to the Court of Justice and the General Court and the EFTA Court
• Member of the Danish Bar and Law Society’s International Committee
• Appointed external examiner for the EU and competition law programmes at the Danish universities (2022-2026)
• Member of the Danish Competition Law Society
• Member of the Danish State Aid Law Society
• Member of the Danish Association for European Law
• Member of the Danish Bar and Law Society
• Member of the Copenhagen Association of Lawyers
• Co-Founder, Vice President, and Head of Partnerships, "Friends of the BSC" (alumni association, Brussels School of Competition)
• Former member of Steering Committee, Young Competition Law Professionals (2018-2024)
• Former external lecturer at the University of Copenhagen, teaching Master’s level Competition Law
• Former knowledge ambassador in Kromann Reumert for the Competition, State aid and EU law practice groups (2016-2022)

Publications

• "Dansk Fusionskontrol" (Danish Merger Control), Karnov, 2024 (together with Jens Munk Plum, Erik Bertelsen, Morten Kofmann and Bart A. Creve)
• Contributing author of "Køb og salg af virksomheder" (Buying and Selling Companies) by Johannus Egholm Hansen & Christian Lundgren, published by DJØF, 7th edition, 2024
• "M&A transactions, gun-jumping and competition law – compliance from pre-signing to closing", European Competition Law Review (ECLR), volume 43, issue 10, September 2022
• "De konkurrenceretlige rammer for gennemførelse af transaktioner: Fra pre-signing til closing" (Competition law framework for the execution of transactions: from pre-signing to closing), Revision & Regnskabsvæsen (Auditing and Accounting), no. 11, 2021
• "The Danish State aid regime", Competition Law Policy & Debate, volume 4, 3rd issue, September 2018
• "Strafansvar og strafudmåling i danske sager vedrørende overtrædelser af konkurrencelovens § 6, stk. 1 set i lyset af strafskærpelserne pr. 1. marts 2013" (Criminal liability and sentencing in Danish cases regarding violations of section 6(1) of the Danish Competition Act, seen in the light of the tightening of sanctions as of 1 March 2013), Justitia, no. 2, page 3, 2015

High-profile cases

Sonny has acted as adviser on numerous high-profile Danish and international cases, including most recently:

• Everfuel’s acquisition of Swiss Life Asset Management
• Innova Capital's acquisition of Unisport
• Tryg's sale of Alka Mobil to Call me
• DSB Ejendomsudvikling's development of Jernbanebyen together with NREP, Novo Holdings and Industriens Pension
• Archive Srl's minority investment in Pas Normal Studios
• The sale of Nature Energy to Shell
• Loomis Denmark's defence of Nokas Værdihåndtering’s claim for damages as a result of a competition infringement (landmark decision published in U.2024.3167)
• Landmark High Court ruling on the process of appointing expert assessors, including in relation to disqualification (published in U.2023.2899)
• Appeal of criminal competition law case to the Danish Eastern High Court (published in TfK2021.1285)
• Bavarian Nordic's DKK 800 million State aid agreement for the development of a Danish COVID-19 vaccine
• GlobalConnect's acquisition of Wizer's fibre infrastructure
• Ørsted's divestment of Radius
• Merger of the pension providers DIP and JØP into P+, Pensionskassen for Akademikere
• Widex's merger with Sivantos
• Danica Pension's acquisition of SEB Pension
• Sale of TDC to Macquarie and three Danish pension funds
• Hellman & Friedman's acquisition of Nets