Competition law in practice
Master the issues, regulatory changes and risks in a context of economic warfare
In 2025, competition law is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by the intensification of European initiatives and regulations and their application (DMA, DSA, Foreign Subsidies Regulation, TCTF, EU Compass, Omnibus package, New single market strategy…), the multiplication of investigations and litigation, the continued expansion of digital markets and the emergence of new challenges linked to artificial intelligence and economic sovereignty. Competition authorities, in Belgium and in Europe, are stepping up their vigilance and capacity to intervene, requiring financial institutions and companies to rapidly adapt their practices to ensure fairness, innovation and economic resilience.
This conference explores practical risk management in the light of the sanctions that can be impose (fines, blocked deals, …). Relevant decisions on competition law infringements in the international, European and Belgian arenas are outlined in particular:
Decisions of the Court of First Instance and the Court of Justice of the European Union,
Decisions of the European Commission
Decisions of the Belgian Competition Authority
Decisions of other national competition authorities (ECN network)
Decisions of Belgian courts: Court of Appeal, Enterprise Court
Amicus curiae, written pleadings, opinions and observations
Join this conference, which offers professionals the opportunity to understand, anticipate and meet new challenges, based on the latest trends, decisions and operational tools in competition law.
- Understand the new European and Belgian obligations in competition law
- Identify and prevent risks linked to anti-competitive practices and strategic operations
- Set up or reinforce an adapted internal compliance program
- Anticipate and manage controls, investigations and litigation
- Adapt corporate strategies to the rapidly changing competitive environment
- Secure external growth and (international) financing operations
- The organiser is accredited by the FSMA - Accreditation no.: 500036A and 50036B - 1 point per hour
- ABILWAYS Belgium is also recognised by the FSMA for the ongoing training of compliance officers: 1 point per hour
- Legal, compliance and risk management departments
- M&A, strategy, public affairs managers
- Executives and managers of companies
- Competition lawyers and antitrust lawyers
- Policy associates
- Professionals likely to grant or request public aid
Developments in European competition law
- Latest Commission policies and initiatives
- How will competitiveness be stimulated?
- How are other issues considered?
(to be confirmed)
Director for Strategy and Policy
DG Competition, European Commission
The authority's priorities and outlook for the Belgian market
- What are the priorities of the Belgian Competition Authority?
- Fair competition, protection of consumer interests, sustainable development, inflation... What new interests will be taken into account? What will be the priority actions?
- What can we learn from the latest sector studies and surveys?
Axel Desmedt
President of the Belgian Competition Authority
Agreements between competitors: what kind of cooperation is permissible?
- How to apply the EU Commission guidelines on horizontal cooperation agreements?
- Are the EU Commission and the Belgian Competition Authority open to provide guidance on projected cooperation agreements?
- What kind of cooperation is unlikely to be permissible?
- To what extent is it possible to conclude agreements to reach ESG objectives?
- What are the conditions for exemption?
- What has been the recent practice of the Belgian Competition Authority on horizontal cooperation?
Jean-François Bellis
Founding Partner, Van Bael & Bellis
Professor, Institute of European Studies (ULB) and Brussels School of Competition (BSC)
Control of acquisitions, mergers and joint ventures
- The Towercast case-law, Article 22 referrals, and discussions on call-in powers in Belgium and abroad: investigations into sub-threshold mergers
- Strengthening control: what are the new points of attention in merger control? What happens below the radar?
- Tensions between legal certainty and regulatory scrutiny
- Practical consequences of the introduction of the FDI and FSR regimes on M&A
- How is a “killer acquisition” identified?
Grégoire Ryelandt
Lawyer, deprevernet
Assessor at the Belgian Competition Authority
Founding Member, European Competition Lawyers Association (ECLA)
Editor In Chief, Competitio
State aid in practice in the era of customs duties and embargoes and in the light of competitive practices
- What measures should be considered as State aid?
- What are the principles to be taken into account when granting aid?
- What are the legal and financial consequences for public authorities and beneficiaries in the event of unlawful or incompatible aid?
- What kind of aid can be granted?
Carole Maczkovics
Of Counsel, Covington & Burling LLP
Academic Director at the European State Aid Law Institute, Professor at the Brussels School of Competition
The practice and sanction of abuse of economic dependence
- Vertical agreements
- What clauses can be inserted depending on the relationship (subcontracting, franchising, exclusive sales concession, distribution system)?
- Distribution contracts: how can we develop a harmonized policy for the entire group, considering the specific features and different operating methods of each partner?
- What obligations may or may not be imposed on partners? Possible adjustments
- How is economic dependence assessed in practice?
- Market power, company share, reputation, required profit, retaliation, end of contractual relationship
- Access to resources and technological dependence
- What abuses have been identified?
- Procedural recommendations on means of action: complaint to the Belgian Competition Authority (ABC), injunction, action for damages
Filip Tuytschaever
Partner, EU & competition law, contrast
Professor EU Competition Law, University of Brussels (VUB)
Bid-rigging: interactions between competition law and public procurement law
- A priority of the Belgian Competition Authority (ABC): some recent decisions
- How can collusion between bidders, price-fixing or market sharing be detected as early as possible?
- Can two companies of the same group of undertakings issue separate bids in a tender?
- Consortium bidding: when is it allowed to submit a joint bid for a public contract?
- What if abnormally high or low prices are submitted?
- Transparency and duty to state reasons: what information can or must be disclosed by the contracting authority in its decision?
- The leniency program, damages claims, exclusion from future tenders and other sanctions in case of bid rigging.
Carmen Verdonck
Partner, Altius
Board member - Past president, AEDC - VSMR
Assessor, Belgian competition authority
Board member - Past President, LIDC - International League of Competition Law
Panel discussion: New and future challenges in a time of economic warfare
Isabel Rooms
Antitrust Partner, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP
&
(3 to 6 in-house lawyers to be confirmed)