Expertise in administrative law, environmental law, natural law, real estate, property law and road law.
- Assisting local authorities in discussions about the Local Government Decree.
- Open government
- Agreements with the government/covenants
- Pre-emptive rights
- Expropriation
- Spatial planning: Legal guidance in the drafting and procedures for spatial implementation plans, structural plans, policy plans, action plans, etc.
- Environmental permits (urban development, land parcelling, road matters, exploitation, vegetation changes and retail activities): guidance, advice and litigation for public authorities and courts
- Legal environmental management: process monitoring with risk analysis and timetable for project development
- Complex projects
- Construction shift – Instrument Decree (Forest Map, Water-Sensitive Open Space Areas, planning gains, planning damage, residential expansion areas, etc.)
- Heritage
- EIA and MOBER: advice and legal screening of EIA and MOBER documents in the context of drawing up plans and permits
- Government liability in the context of environmental law (incorrect urban planning information, planning damage, compensation discussions)
- Assistance with issues relating to the Habitats and Birds Directives (conservation objectives), advice and screening of appropriate assessments/enhanced or general nature assessments, nitrogen issues, species protection, deforestation, etc.
- Assistance with transfers of domain property and assistance with private forms of use by individuals and companies: precarious permits, occupation for begging, rights in rem and domain concessions and concessions for public works, port concessions, etc.
- Assistance to public authorities and private individuals and legal entities in relation to municipal roads, local roads, regional roads and motorways (building line plans, building-free zones, advertising, road matters, policy plans, etc.)
Date of birth
3 May 1985
Lawyer since
2008
At gsj since
2009
Partner since
2018
Practice group
- Administrative and environmental law
Studies
- 2024: Micro-credential Environmental Mediator, University of Antwerp
- 2008-2009: Additional training “Litigation before the Council of State”, Catholic University of Leuven
- 2006-2008: Master of Laws, cum laude, Catholic University of Leuven
- 2003-2006: Bachelor of Laws, Catholic University of Leuven
- 1997-2003: Secondary education, Science – Mathematics, cum laude, Cardinal Van Roey Institute, Vorselaar
Languages
Dutch, French and English
Preferred subjects
Administrative law, heritage, environmental law (spatial planning and environmental law), expropriation, real estate and road law
Selection of publications
- J. GEENS, ‘Possibilities for deviation in municipal urban planning regulations and the discretionary power of the licensing authority in appeal proceedings’, STORM 2023/2, 7-10
- J. GEENS, ‘The Municipal Roads Decree and the pragmatic judge: note under judgment RvVb 13 January 2022, no. RvVb/A/2122/0342, Saelens and Tondeur’, STORM 2022/1, 21/01-04
- J. GEENS and Y. LOIX, ‘Current capita selecta from Flemish practice in environmental law’, in VLANOT by Fednot (eds.), Vlanot Yearbook 2021, Antwerp, Intersentia, 2022, 933-964
- J. GEENS and V. WANTEN, “Decree-maker remains insensitive to the concept of destination neutrality”, STORM 2021/2, 16/01-05
- J. GEENS, ‘Creation, modification and abolition of municipal roads, including the relationship with environmental law’, in R. PALMANS, S. LIERMAN and T. LEYS (eds.), Gemeentewegen, Antwerp, Intersentia, 2020, 25-54
- T. STERCKX, J. GEENS and O. VERHULST, The environmental permit – Practical guide – revised edition 2020, Bruges, die Keure, 2020, 277 p.
- J. GEENS and V. WANTEN, ‘The new municipal roads decree: who, what, where and how?’, BN 2020, no. 1, 19-30
- J. GEENS and V. WANTEN, “Discussion of the decree of 3 May 2019 on municipal roads – From now on, all roads lead to Rome”, TBO 2019, no. 5, 360-369
- J. GEENS and A. GEERTS, ‘Decree of 8 May 2009 establishing and implementing building lines’, in T. DE WAELE, B. HUBEAU, B. VANHEUSDEN and G. VAN HOORICK (eds.) Annotated Code of Environmental Law, Bruges, die Keure, 2018, 155-167
- T. STERCKX, J. GEENS and O. VERHULST, The environmental permit – Practical guide – revised edition, Bruges, die Keure, 2018, 245 p.
- J. GEENS and O. VERHULST, ‘The procedural aspects of planning damage’, in, R. PALMANS, M. BOES and W. VERRIJDT (eds.), Planning damage and planning gains, Antwerp-Cambridge, Intersentia, 2018, 49-63
- T. STERCKX, J. GEENS and O. VERHULST, The environmental permit – Practical guide, Bruges, die Keure, 2017, 245 p.
Memberships
- 2024-present: Director, Emmaüs VZW
- 2020-present: Member, Voka REC – Real Estate Community
- 2019-2024: Member, Antwerp Transport Region
- 2017-present: Member, GAP – Association of Public Law Attorneys
- 2017-present: Director, ‘Dorp vol Plezier’ vzw
- 2017-2024: Alderman, Municipality of Zandhoven
- 2016-present: Member of “Molenkring” vzw
- 2016-present: Member of the editorial board of “Recht in de gemeente” – die Keure
- 2016-2018: Deputy member of the Regional Commission for Access to Administrative Documents of the Brussels-Capital Region
- 2013-2018: Director of Igean Services and Igean Environment & Safety
- 2013-present: Member of CROW – Centre for Law, Expropriation and Valuation
- 2013–present: Member of the Editorial Board of “Collectie Publiek Recht” (CPR) - Vanden Broele
- 2012- present: Member of the Flemish Association for Spatial Planning (VRP)
- 2012-2018: Member of Gecoro (municipal committee for spatial planning) Zandhoven
- 2008-2016: Member of the Police Council for the Zara police zone (Zandhoven-Ranst)
- 2008-2013: Member of the Environmental Council of the municipality of Zandhoven
- 2008-2024: Member of the Municipal Council of the municipality of Zandhoven
Selection of study days and teaching assignments
- Catholic University of Leuven, Faculty of Law (2008-2016):
- Institute for Administrative Law: tutorials, seminars, guest lectures and master's theses in administrative law
- Institute for Environmental and Energy Law: guest lectures
- Institute for Judicial Law: seminars in judicial law
- Hasselt University: Faculty of Law (2012-2016):
- Institute for Judicial Law: teaching groups in judicial law – bachelor's theses in judicial law
- Lecturer at Embuild (formerly Confederatie Bouw), Syntra (real estate agent) and Agrocampus (formerly NCBL)
- Guest lecturer at HoGent – Real Estate (project development) and University of Antwerp (Micro-credential Environmental Mediator)
- Guest lecturer at UA Micro-credential Environmental Mediator
- Speaker at various study days, including:
- Die Keure: Tailor-made RO – 21 November 2024
- SPRYG Real Estate Academy: Legal environmental management (14 September 2021, 30 November 2021, 31 May 2022, 17 October 2022, 9 November 2022, 31 May 2023, 4 October 2023, 21 February 2024; 10 October 2024)
- die Keure: Urban development – The modular permit procedure and the environmental decision – 20 September 2024
- die Keure: Road law in 2024 – 30 January 2024
- Leuven: Recent developments in European, federal and regional environmental law
- Province House: “The preliminary draft amendment to the Environmental Permit Decree” – 29 January 2024
- die Keure: Urban development in Flanders: “A checklist for the perfect application and the perfect decision” – 29 September 2023
- Kennis van Wonen Congress: Current issues in spatial planning and environmental law – 22 June 2023
- Embuild: Construction school environmental law: Environmental permit management (20 April 2023, 14 November 2023) and Building lines and environmental law (25 May 2023)
- Ghent University College: guest lecture: Environmental permit management (4 May 2023)
- In-house training course “Water and nature and their impact on licensing”
- B19: Mipim debriefing – 29 March 2023
- VOKA REC: The environmental permit, a shift in real estate – 28 February 2023
- die Keure: Environmental law tailored to the land surveyor: 8 December 2022
- Escala: Environment Day: The water test – 20 October 2022
- Syntra Bizz: Nature and water legislation for real estate agents – 17 November 2022
- Vivo: Nature and water legislation with an impact on real estate – series of lessons in spring 2022
- Vlanot: Seminar series on Spatial Planning 28 September 2021 – current capita selecta from Flemish practice in environmental law
- Vivo: Nature and water legislation with an impact on real estate – series of lessons in spring 2022
- Syntra Bizz: Nature and water legislation for real estate agents – 17 November 2022
- Escala: Environment Day: The water test – 20 October 2022
- die Keure: Environmental law tailored to the land surveyor-expert: 8 December 2022
- die Keure in collaboration with Confederatie Bouw: Housing construction in Flanders (9 June 2021)
- Confederatie Bouw: Permit management in the construction sector (22 April 2021)
- Spryg Real Estate Academy: Legal and tax updates in real estate 2021 (16 March 2021)
- VVLE: Construction shift & VAT rate regulation for demolition and reconstruction (11 March 2021)
More information
- 2024-present: Guest lecturer UA Micro-credential Environmental Mediator
- 2023-present: Guest lecturer Hogent – Project Development Programme
- 2010–2015: Assistant in Judicial Law Hasselt University
- 2009–2016: Assistant in Public Law Catholic University of Leuven
Download pdf
_1400x934_Overheidsopdrachten.jpg)
