EU and Competition Law

The European Commission has published its first-ever in-depth decision under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation, marking a significant milestone in understanding the application of this regulatory tool. We identify important takeaways for future practice.

M&A transactions falling below the merger notification thresholds are not necessarily exempt from scrutiny. Companies should therefore carefully assess the potential competitive impact of their transactions, as the ACM has proven to be vigilant.

On 20 February 2025, the Belgian Supreme Court confirmed that under Belgian law an abuse of economic dependence may be found even in a situation where there is no contractual relationship between the companies involved.

The CJEU decision in the National Orchestra of Belgium decision shakes up employer copyright in the Netherlands. With new consent and compensation requirements, are your employment contracts still airtight? Discover the implications of the decision here.

On 31 January 2025, Belgium's Government Agreement for 2025-2029 was published, focusing on strengthening competition, safeguarding tech expertise, and increasing subsidy transparency. However, more steps are needed to define practical implementation.

On 13 February 2025, the District Court of Rotterdam upheld the ACM’s approach in its ruling on the appeal against the regulator’s first-ever excessive pricing fine.

Big Tech faces challenges when denying third parties access to its open platforms. The European Court of Justice has ruled that a dominant company’s refusal to make its open platform compatible with a third-party app may be abusive.