EU and Competition Law

Our EU and Competition Law team has unrivalled experience in providing cutting-edge technical and strategic advice in complex domestic and cross-border EU and competition law matters, to ensure the best possible outcome for our clients.

Our specialists have a wealth of expertise in EU law and all areas of domestic and EU competition law, including cartels and anti-competitive agreements, abuse of dominance and economic dependence, merger control, State aid, follow-on civil litigation, foreign direct investment regulation, internal market (secondary) legislation, regulated markets, trade law and unfair commercial practices. We advise clients in various sectors.

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Matter
NL Law

Stibbe represents Apple Inc. in class action for alleged abuse of dominance

Stibbe is acting as Apple's defence counsel in a Dutch class action for alleged abuse of a dominance in relation to the App Store.

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Matter
NL Law

Stibbe advises Viatris in sale of substantially all of Viatris’ European OTC Business to Cooper Consumer Health

Stibbe successfully guides Viatris through EU regulatory processes.

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Meeting room with a lounge, bookcases and a conference table with laptops, all kinds of stationary, books and papers at Stibbe in Brussels
Matter
NL Law

Stibbe defends KLM against greenwashing claims

Fossielvrij NL has launched a greenwashing claim against Royal Dutch Airlines KLM, the first of its kind to be brought under the Dutch collective action regime.

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Cars drive along a wide street lined with modern buildings in Luxembourg City, where bike lanes, traffic lights, and trees border the sidewalk
Matter
NL Law

Stibbe represents Mercedes-Benz in class action concerning NOx emissions from diesel vehicles

Stibbe is acting as defence counsel for Mercedes-Benz in mass litigation over allegations that the company installed prohibited defeat devices in its diesel-powered vehicles.

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Services

Our experts successfully represent leading businesses in landmark cases brought before the national authorities, European Commission, national courts, and the European Courts in Luxembourg in the following areas:

Anti-competitive agreements - Antitrust authorities have recently stepped up their action against anti-competitive agreements, including cartels. We advise clients on how to avoid procedures and assist them during every stage of investigation.   

Abuse of dominance - We help clients navigate questions and litigation related to abuse of a dominant position, including on the rapidly evolving prohibition of economic dependence.   

Merger control and foreign direct investment (FDI) regulation - We assist clients with multi-jurisdictional merger control and FDI analyses, and with the entire notification process before the relevant authorities.

State aid - Our intervention covers the structuring of projects, the preparation and defence of notifications, the recovery of illegal aid, and the handling of infringement procedures.

Follow-on civil litigation - We have an integrated Antitrust Litigation Group that specialises in defending clients against antitrust civil (follow-on) damage claims and damage claims following illegal State aid.   

EU law - We act on the free movement of goods, services and capital, customs law, secondary EU legislation, EU taxation, contract disputes, general EU principles, and public tenders.

Regulatory investigations and compliance - The regulation of markets such as finance, energy and media, and product regulation is becoming increasingly complex. We support our clients’ needs in these areas.

Unfair commercial practices - Our experience with unfair competition law and consumer protection includes unfair trading practices, unfair contract terms, e-commerce, geo-blocking, online platforms, collective redress and digital services. Furthermore, we advise clients on the implications of online sales regulation and the Digital Markets Act (DMA). We also help them find the correctly structured actions, promotions, and publicity.

On a cross-border level, we maintain strong relationships with leading law firms in jurisdictions around the world, enabling us to provide sound advice in all cases.

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Recognition & Awards

"Simply the best lawyers in the field."

The Legal 500
2024
EU and Competition

"Highly competent advice is provided on Dutch competition and telecoms matters."

The Legal 500
2024
EU and Competition

"Stibbe is the leading competition law practice in the Netherlands in my view. Both as to merger clearance and conduct investigations, they bring noteworthy sophistication, insight and a strategic view."

The Legal 500
2024
EU and Competition

"Everyone on the team has been superlative, one rock star after another."

Chambers Europe
2024
Competition: EU Law

"The team is simply the best. They are thorough and proactive."

Chambers Europe
2024
Competition: EU Law

"Stibbe is analytically strong, disciplined and has developed good strategies to deal with the challenges of the case."

Chambers Europe
2023
Competition: EU Law

Competition Firm of the Year

Benchmark Litigation Europe 2021

Clients praise the lawyers' "technical skills" and their "ability to offer pragmatic advice".

Chambers Europe
2022
Competition: Belgian Law