19 results General Court confirms: no proof, no dawn raid The Commission should think twice before conducting a dawn raid. The General Court partially annulled three Commission decisions ordering dawn raids at the premises of French supermarkets for a lack of sufficiently strong evidence. EU merger control: Dutch clause to catch future killer acquisitions Competition Commissioner Vestager presented a sneak peak of her plans for the future of EU merger control on the 30th anniversary of the EU Merger Regulation. Home, but not alone: Commission may complete dawn raids from home The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has rejected Nexans’ appeal in the power cables cartel case. The Commission started the dawn raid at Nexans’ premises, but due to lack of time finished the raid at the Commission’s premises in Brussels. COVID-19 impacts level and payment of antitrust fines As well as granting companies leeway on certain COVID-19 initiated collaborations (see our May 2020 newsletter), the coronavirus outbreak has also led competition authorities to take a more lenient stance towards fine calculations and payments. Back to the future – Commission publishes roadmap for green and digital challenges The Commission’s Communication “A competition policy fit for new challenges” (the “Communication”) identifies key areas in which competition law and policy can support European efforts in dealing with the challenges of the green and digital transitions. Dominant firm may refuse to supply retailer after initial delivery The Brussels Court of Appeal has held that a dominant producer firm may have valid reasons to refuse further supplies to a retailer, despite its dominance and despite previous deliveries. Amsterdam Court of Appeal rules on the applicable law to air freight cartel damages claims On 6 July 2021, the Amsterdam Court of Appeal had to decide whether the pragmatic approach of the Amsterdam District Court, which had applied Dutch law to all air freight cartel damages claims, could be upheld. Netherlands FDI regime protecting national security is getting closer On 30 June 2021, a legislative proposal introducing an investment screening on grounds of national security in the Netherlands was submitted to the House of Representatives. The new VBER is here! Time to update your distribution agreements The new Vertical Block Exemption Regulation (VBER) entered into force on 1 June 2022. The new VBER is stricter on dual distribution and across-platform retail parity obligations than the old one, but is more lenient towards active sales and online sales r Digital Law Up(to)date: (1) Parliamentary initiatives about cyber attacks; (2) ‘Zero tariff’ options before the CJEU; and (3) Council of State, GDPR and encryption In this blog, we briefly present three interesting matters in the field of digital law: (1) Parliamentary initiatives to tackle cyber attacks; (2) 'Zero tariff' options and open internet access do not mix; (3) Council of State, GDPR and encryption. Temporary authorisations for certain biocidal products to tackle the Corona crisis: unusual times call for unusual (temporary) measures The outbreak of the Covid-19 crisis has been officially acknowledged as a pandemic and public health crisis. In response, the Belgian authorities have decided to proceed with the grant of temporary authorisations for certain biocidal product types. No-deal Brexit and the internal market: what implications for trade of food products, animals and plants? Following the June 2016 referendum on European Union ("EU") membership in the United Kingdom ("UK"), the UK notified the European Council of the UK's intention to withdraw from the EU under Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. New deal for online deals - EU consumer protection adapted to the digital era As part of the New Deal for Consumers, aimed to strengthen EU consumer protection in light of the digital era, a new Directive 2019/2161 of 27 November 2019 has been adopted. Industrial plastic-bag makers lose out on EUR 800,000 at European Court of Justice Companies awaiting the outcome of appeal proceedings should carefully consider whether to pay the imposed fine by bank guarantee or direct payment. Loyalty rebate scheme 'saved' by pharma company's market misconceptions The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) recently closed its investigation into a discount scheme by dominant pharma company Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) aimed at preventing the National Health Service (NHS) from switching to competing biosimilars. Does selling a phone on an online marketplace make you a "trader" under the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive and the Consumer Rights Directive? Online marketplaces provide sales channels not only for professional traders but also for individuals selling second-hand goods. For buyers, online advertisements do not always make it clear whether the seller is a professional trader or an individual. Contracts & Corona: force majeure and related topics The spread of the coronavirus may have some consequences that affect your ability to perform your obligations under your contracts, or your co-contractors’ ability to perform theirs. We provide some insight on a few pressing questions. Swifter merger clearance and shorter merger filings in Belgium Companies can expect swifter merger clearance and simpler filing rules in Belgium. The Belgian Competition Authority has published a communication with additional rules concerning the simplified procedure for certain types of concentrations. Pagination Current page 1 Page 2 Next page
General Court confirms: no proof, no dawn raid The Commission should think twice before conducting a dawn raid. The General Court partially annulled three Commission decisions ordering dawn raids at the premises of French supermarkets for a lack of sufficiently strong evidence.
EU merger control: Dutch clause to catch future killer acquisitions Competition Commissioner Vestager presented a sneak peak of her plans for the future of EU merger control on the 30th anniversary of the EU Merger Regulation.
Home, but not alone: Commission may complete dawn raids from home The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has rejected Nexans’ appeal in the power cables cartel case. The Commission started the dawn raid at Nexans’ premises, but due to lack of time finished the raid at the Commission’s premises in Brussels.
COVID-19 impacts level and payment of antitrust fines As well as granting companies leeway on certain COVID-19 initiated collaborations (see our May 2020 newsletter), the coronavirus outbreak has also led competition authorities to take a more lenient stance towards fine calculations and payments.
Back to the future – Commission publishes roadmap for green and digital challenges The Commission’s Communication “A competition policy fit for new challenges” (the “Communication”) identifies key areas in which competition law and policy can support European efforts in dealing with the challenges of the green and digital transitions.
Dominant firm may refuse to supply retailer after initial delivery The Brussels Court of Appeal has held that a dominant producer firm may have valid reasons to refuse further supplies to a retailer, despite its dominance and despite previous deliveries.
Amsterdam Court of Appeal rules on the applicable law to air freight cartel damages claims On 6 July 2021, the Amsterdam Court of Appeal had to decide whether the pragmatic approach of the Amsterdam District Court, which had applied Dutch law to all air freight cartel damages claims, could be upheld.
Netherlands FDI regime protecting national security is getting closer On 30 June 2021, a legislative proposal introducing an investment screening on grounds of national security in the Netherlands was submitted to the House of Representatives.
The new VBER is here! Time to update your distribution agreements The new Vertical Block Exemption Regulation (VBER) entered into force on 1 June 2022. The new VBER is stricter on dual distribution and across-platform retail parity obligations than the old one, but is more lenient towards active sales and online sales r
Digital Law Up(to)date: (1) Parliamentary initiatives about cyber attacks; (2) ‘Zero tariff’ options before the CJEU; and (3) Council of State, GDPR and encryption In this blog, we briefly present three interesting matters in the field of digital law: (1) Parliamentary initiatives to tackle cyber attacks; (2) 'Zero tariff' options and open internet access do not mix; (3) Council of State, GDPR and encryption.
Temporary authorisations for certain biocidal products to tackle the Corona crisis: unusual times call for unusual (temporary) measures The outbreak of the Covid-19 crisis has been officially acknowledged as a pandemic and public health crisis. In response, the Belgian authorities have decided to proceed with the grant of temporary authorisations for certain biocidal product types.
No-deal Brexit and the internal market: what implications for trade of food products, animals and plants? Following the June 2016 referendum on European Union ("EU") membership in the United Kingdom ("UK"), the UK notified the European Council of the UK's intention to withdraw from the EU under Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union.
New deal for online deals - EU consumer protection adapted to the digital era As part of the New Deal for Consumers, aimed to strengthen EU consumer protection in light of the digital era, a new Directive 2019/2161 of 27 November 2019 has been adopted.
Industrial plastic-bag makers lose out on EUR 800,000 at European Court of Justice Companies awaiting the outcome of appeal proceedings should carefully consider whether to pay the imposed fine by bank guarantee or direct payment.
Loyalty rebate scheme 'saved' by pharma company's market misconceptions The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) recently closed its investigation into a discount scheme by dominant pharma company Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) aimed at preventing the National Health Service (NHS) from switching to competing biosimilars.
Does selling a phone on an online marketplace make you a "trader" under the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive and the Consumer Rights Directive? Online marketplaces provide sales channels not only for professional traders but also for individuals selling second-hand goods. For buyers, online advertisements do not always make it clear whether the seller is a professional trader or an individual.
Contracts & Corona: force majeure and related topics The spread of the coronavirus may have some consequences that affect your ability to perform your obligations under your contracts, or your co-contractors’ ability to perform theirs. We provide some insight on a few pressing questions.
Swifter merger clearance and shorter merger filings in Belgium Companies can expect swifter merger clearance and simpler filing rules in Belgium. The Belgian Competition Authority has published a communication with additional rules concerning the simplified procedure for certain types of concentrations.