Tags: Competition
New guidelines for the Belgian rules on foreign direct investment
Since 1 July 2023, the Belgian rules on the screening of foreign direct investments (“FDI”) have been in force. As the decisions of the Interfederal Screening Commission (“ISC”) are not published, the rules’ application and interpretation still raise a lot of legal uncertainty. On 4 April 2024, the ISC published guidelines to provide further clarification.
Hospital mergers no longer subject to the Belgian Competition Authority’s prior review
The legislator has now had the last word, by providing that, in principle, hospital mergers are no longer subject to the BCA’s prior review and approval.
The Act of 19 March 2024 gives new powers to the Belgian Competition Authority to support the European Commission’s competences under the Digital Markets Act
The Act primarily grants more powers to the BCA to improve its efficiency and allow it to adequately support the EC when the latter applies and enforces the DMA.
Belgian Competition Authority fines kitchen accessories company Le Creuset for resale price maintenance
The Belgian Competition Authority has fined Le Creuset EUR 490,112 for having implemented a resale price maintenance policy.
2023 Belgian Competition Law round-up
In the following article, our Competition law experts guide you through the key events in Competition law from 2023.
Size matters: pornographic websites Pornhub, Xvideos and Stripchat designated as Very Large Online Platforms
On 20 December 2023, the European Commission designated Pornhub, Xvideos and Stripchat, three widely-used porn sites, as ‘very large online platforms’ under the new Digital Services Act.
Denouement in the “Belgian Towercast Case”: the Belgian Competition Authority terminates its proceedings against Proximus following the divestiture of EDPnet to Citymesh
On 6 November 2023, the Belgian Competition Authority (“BCA”) announced that it had closed its investigation into a possible abuse of dominance by Proximus following the sale of EDPnet to Citymesh.
The Belgian Competition Authority publishes a specific analytical framework for hospital concentrations
This article is an updated version of our previous article on the uncertainty regarding hospital merger control, focusing on the BCA’s decision of 28 June 2023.
The Belgian Competition Authority has declared itself competent to examine mergers and acquisitions between hospitals under its merger control regime, following the Act of 29 March 2021
A lot of uncertainty has existed about the requirement for hospitals to notify M&A transactions to the Belgian Competition Authority (“BCA”). On 28 June 2023, the BCA decided to partially lift the stand-still obligation regarding a concentration between two hospitals, and it further clarified the applicable rules in a follow-up Communication of 14 July 2023.
Hi ChatGPT, how do you feel about the upcoming EU AI Act?
On 14 June 2023, the European Parliament adopted its positionon the draft AI Act, which brings one step closer an EU regulation for generative AI and other AI systems. This blog gives the highlights of the current draft text, taking into account the newest amendments that have been proposed.
The Belgian Competition Authority reimposes the same fine on Caudalie after its first decision was quashed by the Brussels Market Court
On 18 January 2023, the Belgian Competition Authority (“BCA”) reimposed a fine of EUR 859,310 on three undertakings of the Caudalie group for imposing retail prices and restricting active and passive sales.
Brussels Court of Appeal rejects Carrefour’s request to suspend the Belgian Competition Authority’s decision authorising the concentration between Intermarché AB and Mestdagh, including Carrefour’s ‘gun-jumping’ argument
On 23 December 2022, the Brussels Court of Appeal (“Market Court”) rejected Carrefour Belgium’s application for the suspension of the Belgian Competition Authority’s (“BCA”) decision of 9 November 2022 authorising the concentration between Intermarché AB (“ITM”) and Mestdagh.