234 results Upward referral of killer acquisitions: enlightened or one-stop shop flop? Companies involved in M&A deals falling below the EU and national notification thresholds need to think twice about their deal’s potential impact on competition from now on. Abuse of economic dependence: lessons drawn from the first judgments On 22 August 2020, the ban on abuse of economic dependence was implemented in Belgium. Now that almost a year has passed and the first judgments have been rendered, we assess what first lessons can be drawn from these judgments. Game on for gatekeepers: Digital Markets Act finalised Now that political agreement has been reached on the final text, the Digital Markets Act (DMA) will enter into force soon. The DMA’s ex ante rules and obligations will apply next to the ad hoc EU and national competition rules. ACM jumps on gun-jumping bandwagon Companies involved in multi-step acquisitions should beware of potential gun-jumping risks. The ACM has fined a trade association for failing to notify the acquisition of four pharmacies involving a consecutive partial resale. Stibbe advises The Hague, Staedion and Heijmans Stibbe advises the Municipality of The Hague, Housing Association Staedion, and Heijmans on a major inner city restructuring in The Hague area, consisting of the (re)development of 5,500 houses, commercial real estate and public areas. Sustainability solutions sussed out soon More antitrust clarity has arrived for companies involved in sustainability collaborations. The EC published draft revised rules on horizontal cooperation agreements and the ACM informally approved two green initiatives in the energy sector. Employers beware: final warning for “job cartels” Only months after suspending an investigation into a possible wage-fixing cartel, the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has warned employers, employers’ organisations, and trade associations to not engage in no-poach agreements. Pfizer may be off the hook, but ACM pharma supervision continues Pharma companies beware: discount schemes by former patent owners raise red flags at competition authorities. Getting the Deal Through – Cartel Regulation 2022 Roos Elemans, Stijn de Jong and Kaj Privé contributed to Getting the Deal Through – Cartel Regulation 2022. In their publication, they discuss important issues that apply to cartel regulation in the Netherlands. Second time lucky: Intel’s EUR 1.06 billion loyalty rebate fine quashed Intel’s second round at the General Court was significantly more successful than its first. In the first round, the General Court had failed to analyse whether the loyalty rebates at issue were capable of restricting competition. In the second round, afte Belgian Competition Authority approves merger between Port of Antwerp and Port of Zeebrugge By decision of 7 January 2022, the Belgian Competition Authority approved the merger between the Port of Antwerp and the Port of Zeebrugge. This merger deals with two important ports in Europe, in particular in the Hamburg – Le Havre range. 2022: the big reveal of 2021’s competition law promises 2021 was riddled with sneak previews of a “review of competition policy tools with unprecedented scope and ambition”. Sharing is caring? Commission can take over NCA probe The EU case cooperation mechanism does not create any rights for companies to have their case dealt with by a particular competition authority. Companies should therefore factor the dynamics of this cooperation mechanism into their defence strategies. Legalisatie van cannabisproducten in het ene EU land zet de deur op een kier voor legalisatie in ander land, aldus Franse rechter De hoogste Franse rechter gaat mee in een recente uitspraak van het Hof van Justitie EU, waarmee zij de deur op een kier zet voor legalisatie van cannabisproducten, en laat zien dat EU landen niet zomaar cannabisproducten kunnen blijven weren. Court assesses threshold for substantiating cartel damage plausibility On 23 June 2021, the Rotterdam District Court rendered two (final) judgments regarding damages claims following the European Commission’s decision on an alleged elevators cartel. 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. CJEU clarifies jurisdiction for follow-on damage claims The Court of Justice of the European Union recently further clarified which courts within the EU have jurisdiction to hear follow-on damage claims. 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. Pagination Previous page Page 7 Current page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Next page
Upward referral of killer acquisitions: enlightened or one-stop shop flop? Companies involved in M&A deals falling below the EU and national notification thresholds need to think twice about their deal’s potential impact on competition from now on.
Abuse of economic dependence: lessons drawn from the first judgments On 22 August 2020, the ban on abuse of economic dependence was implemented in Belgium. Now that almost a year has passed and the first judgments have been rendered, we assess what first lessons can be drawn from these judgments.
Game on for gatekeepers: Digital Markets Act finalised Now that political agreement has been reached on the final text, the Digital Markets Act (DMA) will enter into force soon. The DMA’s ex ante rules and obligations will apply next to the ad hoc EU and national competition rules.
ACM jumps on gun-jumping bandwagon Companies involved in multi-step acquisitions should beware of potential gun-jumping risks. The ACM has fined a trade association for failing to notify the acquisition of four pharmacies involving a consecutive partial resale.
Stibbe advises The Hague, Staedion and Heijmans Stibbe advises the Municipality of The Hague, Housing Association Staedion, and Heijmans on a major inner city restructuring in The Hague area, consisting of the (re)development of 5,500 houses, commercial real estate and public areas.
Sustainability solutions sussed out soon More antitrust clarity has arrived for companies involved in sustainability collaborations. The EC published draft revised rules on horizontal cooperation agreements and the ACM informally approved two green initiatives in the energy sector.
Employers beware: final warning for “job cartels” Only months after suspending an investigation into a possible wage-fixing cartel, the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has warned employers, employers’ organisations, and trade associations to not engage in no-poach agreements.
Pfizer may be off the hook, but ACM pharma supervision continues Pharma companies beware: discount schemes by former patent owners raise red flags at competition authorities.
Getting the Deal Through – Cartel Regulation 2022 Roos Elemans, Stijn de Jong and Kaj Privé contributed to Getting the Deal Through – Cartel Regulation 2022. In their publication, they discuss important issues that apply to cartel regulation in the Netherlands.
Second time lucky: Intel’s EUR 1.06 billion loyalty rebate fine quashed Intel’s second round at the General Court was significantly more successful than its first. In the first round, the General Court had failed to analyse whether the loyalty rebates at issue were capable of restricting competition. In the second round, afte
Belgian Competition Authority approves merger between Port of Antwerp and Port of Zeebrugge By decision of 7 January 2022, the Belgian Competition Authority approved the merger between the Port of Antwerp and the Port of Zeebrugge. This merger deals with two important ports in Europe, in particular in the Hamburg – Le Havre range.
2022: the big reveal of 2021’s competition law promises 2021 was riddled with sneak previews of a “review of competition policy tools with unprecedented scope and ambition”.
Sharing is caring? Commission can take over NCA probe The EU case cooperation mechanism does not create any rights for companies to have their case dealt with by a particular competition authority. Companies should therefore factor the dynamics of this cooperation mechanism into their defence strategies.
Legalisatie van cannabisproducten in het ene EU land zet de deur op een kier voor legalisatie in ander land, aldus Franse rechter De hoogste Franse rechter gaat mee in een recente uitspraak van het Hof van Justitie EU, waarmee zij de deur op een kier zet voor legalisatie van cannabisproducten, en laat zien dat EU landen niet zomaar cannabisproducten kunnen blijven weren.
Court assesses threshold for substantiating cartel damage plausibility On 23 June 2021, the Rotterdam District Court rendered two (final) judgments regarding damages claims following the European Commission’s decision on an alleged elevators cartel.
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.
CJEU clarifies jurisdiction for follow-on damage claims The Court of Justice of the European Union recently further clarified which courts within the EU have jurisdiction to hear follow-on damage claims.
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.