64 results The honeymoon phase of the Foreign Subsidies Regulation is over! Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. The industry voices have been clear about the Foreign Subsidies Regulation. But what is the authority’s view? We provide an update on recent developments, including the European Commission’s first policy brief. The vertical fight continues: two more cases on vertical restraints Companies should not take competition rules lightly in their supply relationships. The EU General Court's Valve judgment and the ACM's LG decision illustrate the consistent attention to vertical restraints. Stibbe Brussels reinforces Public Law and EU/Competition Law practices with two Counsel appointments Stibbe Brussels has promoted Sophie Adriaenssen to Counsel in its Public Law practice group and has welcomed Quentin Declève as Counsel in its EU/Competition Law practice. The appointments are effective as per 1 January 2023. Belgian watchdog tackles bid rigging In recent cases in the fire protection and private security sectors, the Belgian Competition Authority has made the prosecution of bid-rigging one of its top priorities, imposing hefty fines on infringers for their participation in cartel schemes. Commission steers market definition to the 21st century Companies have a new and improved tool for the competitive assessment of their conduct and intended acquisitions. The European Commission has updated its guidance on how to define relevant markets for the purpose of EU competition law enforcement. The ACM’s priorities in 2023: the energy transition, digitalisation, and sustainability On 26 January 2023, the ACM announced that its priorities for 2023 would be the energy transition, the digital economy, and sustainability. This agenda is unsurprising in view of the ACM’s recent policy statements and enforcement actions. Game over for dark patterns? ACM fines Epic for unfairly targeting children The ACM has fined Epic Games for exploiting children’s psychological vulnerabilities, marking a key moment for Dutch consumer law enforcement. Our briefing examines the broader implications for consumer-facing businesses, especially those in online sales. EU Compass: Boosting competitiveness as North Star Are ‘European champion’ companies walled off from unfair (foreign) competition the future? The European Commission recently presented its Competitiveness Compass to navigate the European Union to strengthened competitiveness. Foreign investment developments in 2022 2022 marks the second year of the EU Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Regulation, and the year in which legislators haven been busy shaping the Dutch national security screening regime and the EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation. Sense and sensibility in sustainability collaborations The ACM’s push for companies to come forward for an antitrust blessing of their sustainability solutions is paying off. The ACM has again given informal guidance to companies wishing to make sustainability agreements. Levelling the playing field in 2023: new tools and hurdles While 2022 revolved around new and improved regulatory tools, the focus in 2023 will be on putting these tools to use. More merger-related obligations, digital sector scrutiny and clarity on competition-law and consumer-law aspects is imminent. Impact of Belgium’s Government Agreement on the Future of Competition Law 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. Preventing environmental damage through sustainable cooperation Following the EC’s Horizontal Guidelines, the ACM and CMA have also published updated guidance on sustainability agreements. The approaches adopted by the three authorities are largely similar, but leave room for divergent assessments in some respects. The impact of geopolitical developments on transactions: a tangled web of rules and hurdles Where is the line between openness and protectionism in the European single market? At both EU and national level, more and more protective barriers against foreign investors and acquirers have been created in the international competition. Developments in DMA land: EU tags Big Tech as first Gatekeepers The European Commission has designated six Tech Giants (Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta and Microsoft) as gatekeepers for 22 core platform services under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Guidelines vs Guidance: exclusionary abuse Guidelines due by 2025 The European Commission is seeking feedback on the adoption of Guidelines on exclusionary abuses of dominance under Article 102 TFEU. In the meantime, the Commission has amended its 2008 Guidance. From Farm to Fairness: Unpacking the Dutch Unfair Trading Practices Act for the Agri-Food Supply Chain Since 2021, Dutch rules against unfair trading practices, which implemented an EU Directive, apply to business-to-business relationships in agri-food supply chains. Enforcement by the ACM, initially slow, is now intensifying. First trip around the sun: FSR – one year in review The Foreign Subsidies Regulation has celebrated one year of its application. Time for companies to take stock of the lessons learnt from key developments of this first year. However, ambiguities remain and more is yet to come. Watch this space! Pagination Previous page Page 1 Page 2 Current page 3 Page 4 Next page
The honeymoon phase of the Foreign Subsidies Regulation is over! Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. The industry voices have been clear about the Foreign Subsidies Regulation. But what is the authority’s view? We provide an update on recent developments, including the European Commission’s first policy brief.
The vertical fight continues: two more cases on vertical restraints Companies should not take competition rules lightly in their supply relationships. The EU General Court's Valve judgment and the ACM's LG decision illustrate the consistent attention to vertical restraints.
Stibbe Brussels reinforces Public Law and EU/Competition Law practices with two Counsel appointments Stibbe Brussels has promoted Sophie Adriaenssen to Counsel in its Public Law practice group and has welcomed Quentin Declève as Counsel in its EU/Competition Law practice. The appointments are effective as per 1 January 2023.
Belgian watchdog tackles bid rigging In recent cases in the fire protection and private security sectors, the Belgian Competition Authority has made the prosecution of bid-rigging one of its top priorities, imposing hefty fines on infringers for their participation in cartel schemes.
Commission steers market definition to the 21st century Companies have a new and improved tool for the competitive assessment of their conduct and intended acquisitions. The European Commission has updated its guidance on how to define relevant markets for the purpose of EU competition law enforcement.
The ACM’s priorities in 2023: the energy transition, digitalisation, and sustainability On 26 January 2023, the ACM announced that its priorities for 2023 would be the energy transition, the digital economy, and sustainability. This agenda is unsurprising in view of the ACM’s recent policy statements and enforcement actions.
Game over for dark patterns? ACM fines Epic for unfairly targeting children The ACM has fined Epic Games for exploiting children’s psychological vulnerabilities, marking a key moment for Dutch consumer law enforcement. Our briefing examines the broader implications for consumer-facing businesses, especially those in online sales.
EU Compass: Boosting competitiveness as North Star Are ‘European champion’ companies walled off from unfair (foreign) competition the future? The European Commission recently presented its Competitiveness Compass to navigate the European Union to strengthened competitiveness.
Foreign investment developments in 2022 2022 marks the second year of the EU Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Regulation, and the year in which legislators haven been busy shaping the Dutch national security screening regime and the EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation.
Sense and sensibility in sustainability collaborations The ACM’s push for companies to come forward for an antitrust blessing of their sustainability solutions is paying off. The ACM has again given informal guidance to companies wishing to make sustainability agreements.
Levelling the playing field in 2023: new tools and hurdles While 2022 revolved around new and improved regulatory tools, the focus in 2023 will be on putting these tools to use. More merger-related obligations, digital sector scrutiny and clarity on competition-law and consumer-law aspects is imminent.
Impact of Belgium’s Government Agreement on the Future of Competition Law 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.
Preventing environmental damage through sustainable cooperation Following the EC’s Horizontal Guidelines, the ACM and CMA have also published updated guidance on sustainability agreements. The approaches adopted by the three authorities are largely similar, but leave room for divergent assessments in some respects.
The impact of geopolitical developments on transactions: a tangled web of rules and hurdles Where is the line between openness and protectionism in the European single market? At both EU and national level, more and more protective barriers against foreign investors and acquirers have been created in the international competition.
Developments in DMA land: EU tags Big Tech as first Gatekeepers The European Commission has designated six Tech Giants (Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta and Microsoft) as gatekeepers for 22 core platform services under the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Guidelines vs Guidance: exclusionary abuse Guidelines due by 2025 The European Commission is seeking feedback on the adoption of Guidelines on exclusionary abuses of dominance under Article 102 TFEU. In the meantime, the Commission has amended its 2008 Guidance.
From Farm to Fairness: Unpacking the Dutch Unfair Trading Practices Act for the Agri-Food Supply Chain Since 2021, Dutch rules against unfair trading practices, which implemented an EU Directive, apply to business-to-business relationships in agri-food supply chains. Enforcement by the ACM, initially slow, is now intensifying.
First trip around the sun: FSR – one year in review The Foreign Subsidies Regulation has celebrated one year of its application. Time for companies to take stock of the lessons learnt from key developments of this first year. However, ambiguities remain and more is yet to come. Watch this space!