EU and Competition Law

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.

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.

For the first time, the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets conducted a merger review involving a ‘roll-up strategy’. The outcome of another roll-up strategy merger assessment is pending.

The ACM will, possibly as a prelude to an upcoming New Competition Tool, launch market investigations into five sectors. Companies are well-advised to prepare for upcoming market investigations and potential solutions for identified market failures.