Speaker profile
Hazel O'Keeffe
Hazel O'Keeffe is a Partner in Keller and Heckman LLP’s Brussels office. She counsels clients on the regulation of food-contact materials, notably in the European Union (EU), Switzerland and the United Kingdom, focusing on establishing a suitable status for all types of food-contact materials (including plastics, paper and paperboard, printing inks, coatings, adhesives, silicones and rubber) at both EU and national level. She has extensive experience in preparing food contact petitions for submission to the European Food Safety Authority (‘EFSA’) and to Member State authorities, such as the German Institute of Risk Assessment (‘BfR’).
Hazel also advises on, inter alia, EU requirements for biocides, materials in contact with drinking water, personal protective equipment, packaging waste and single-use plastics, medicinal products/European Pharmacopoeia, medical devices, cosmetics, and recycling and green claims. Hazel helps clients navigate the complexities of applying the principle of mutual recognition to facilitate the free movement of non-harmonized products throughout the EU, the European Economic Area (EEA), and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries.
Hazel completed an internship at the European Commission during which she specialized in relations with the European Parliament and gained first-hand experience of the workings of the EU institutions. She is admitted as a solicitor (attorney) in the Republic of Ireland as well as in England and Wales. She is also a member of the Brussels bar (A-List).