In the Picture - Finding the forest through the trees of the Deforestation Regulation

Imagine... 💭

You are a chocolatier, an industrial butcher or joinery, or a garage owner. At a meeting of your trade association, you hear that soon you will have to comply with a Deforestation Regulation.

You are flabbergasted. You understand that there is a Deforestation Regulation, but what could such a regulation have to say about the sale of your products? This can't be right, can it?

Read the answer in our latest #inthepicture 'Finding the forest through the trees of the Deforestation Regulation', written by our senior associate Mathieu Vancaillie.

#competitionlaw #EU #deforestationregulation #contrastlaw

Corporate update: Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive

🚨Corporate update 🚨
 
💡Just now, MEP’s in the European Parliament approved the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, establishing a corporate sustainability due diligence duty and liability scheme for companies under its scope.
 
The Directive will now be finally endorsed by the Council (currently expected on 15 and 23 May), signed and published in the EU Official Journal. It will enter into force twenty days after publication, Member states will have two years to transpose the new rules into their national laws.
 
You can follow the press conference by rapporteur Lara Wolters at 15:00 via this link: https://lnkd.in/ebn74iGN
 
👀 Keep an eye on our page for future updates in this regard.
 
Questions? Contact our corporate partner Bart Bellen or counsels Ine Schockaert and Kristof De Wael.
 
#contrastupdate #corporatelaw #CSDDD #duediligence #sustainability #europeanparliament #contrastlaw

contrast on campus @ UC Louvain

UC Louvain law students 📣

Give your career a boost! Are you looking forward to starting your future career in the legal world?

Tomorrow, our partner Sebastien Engelen and counsel Eva Alboort will introduce you to many tips and tricks on how to successfully and confidently conduct a job interview.

Together with ELSA Louvain-la-Neuve, you will have the opportunity to perfect your interview skills during mock interviews.

Interested in joining? You can register now 👉 https://lnkd.in/e2sMnsCG

#contraststudentcorner #studentworkshops #lawstudents #lawfirms #workshop #legal

12th Annual Competitio Conference

Last week, our associate Michèle de Clerck attended the 12th annual Competitio Conference, a gathering that once again proved to be a nexus for competition experts.

This year's conference provided a comprehensive overview of the latest developments in Belgian competition law for 2023.

The panel on the Belgian FDI-regime was particularly enlightening, revealing the complexities that still need to be addressed in terms of procedure and scope.

The discussions around non-notification mergers and abuse of dominance, especially in light of Towercast and Proximus/Edpnet cases, underscored a clear takeaway: companies must pay careful attention to the underlying driver(s) when determining their transactional strategies.

You can read more about the Towercast and Proximus/Edpnet case in our #inthepicture from April 2023.

It's evident that the landscape of competition law is evolving, and staying informed is key to navigating these changes successfully.

You can count on contrast to apply these insights and contribute to the discourse on competition law and policy.

#CompetitionLaw #FDIRegime #LegalConference #Antitrust #contrast #contrastlaw #meetcontrast

contrast competition update

🚨 contrast competition update 🚨

👀 Yesterday, the Court of Justice of the European Union ('ECJ') issued its preliminary ruling regarding the damage claim by Heureka against Google following the European Commission’s Google Shopping decision.

💡 The ECJ reiterates that the principle of effectiveness of EU law is crucial and precludes national limitation rules which make it practically impossible or excessively difficult to claim damages for continuous anticompetitive practices.

💡 Importantly, the ECJ clarifies that, even in case of an infringement having started before the expiry of the time limit for transposing the Damages Directive, the latter’s rules on the limitation period (Article 10) apply.

💡 The ECJ further confirms that the first moment an injured party knows that the conduct constitutes an infringement coincides with the publication of the summary decision in the EU Official Journal.

Questions? Contact our competition partners Filip Tuytschaever, Herlinde Burez or Sebastien Engelen, or your usual contact at contrast.

You can read the ECJ’s press-release here 👉 https://lnkd.in/epnWb-kc

You can find the Judgment via the following link 👉 https://lnkd.in/efPctYTP

#eucompetitionlaw #competitionlaw #damagesdirective #privateenforcement #ECJ #contrastupdates #contrastlaw

conference organised by EU Competition Policy (DG COMP)

20 years that made a difference 🎉

Yesterday, senior associate Laura Sente attended the conference organised by EU Competition Policy (DG COMP) to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the EU Merger Regulation 139/2004 and to reflect on the impact of EU merger control over the last two decades. The day was filled with interesting keynote speeches and inspiring panels.

Here are Laura’s key take aways from the event:

• AG Kokott expressed her view that following the Towercast judgement ex post control of transactions under Article 102 TFEU should remain the absolute exception.

• Everyone is eagerly awaiting the Court of Justice’s judgement in the Illumina/Grail case on Article 22 referrals. Following the Commission’s renewed approach to Article 22, numerous so-called referral letters have been sent out by the Commission.

• Be careful when preparing internal documents. You better think twice when describing your company as a European champion post-merger.

• Market knowledge is key, especially in innovation driven and digital markets.

• Effective merger control fosters competitiveness and should not be seen as a piranha! 🐟

We look forward to see how EU merger control will evolve for the next 20 years!

Did you also attend the event? Do share your key take aways in the comments below 👇

#20yearsEUMR #EU #mergercontrol #contrast #contrastlaw #lawfirm #meetcontrast

Day of the coworker 2024!

We wish everyone a happy 'day of the coworker'! We are very grateful to our team members for their dedication to contrast and its clients. ☀️🙌 Team work makes the dream work! 

#contrastvibes #wemakethedifference #dayofthecoworker #teamwork 

contrast on campus @ Artevelde Hogeschool

Today counsel Eva Alboort along with paralegals Marthe Wouters and Cathy Van den Branden immersed law practice students from Arteveldehogeschool into the world of litigation and arbitration from both a lawyer’s and a paralegal’s perspective.

On top of that, they also organised an interactive and practical workshop with tips and tricks for students to impress future employers!

Thank you to everyone for attending and joining the interactive workshop. We had a blast and are looking forward to the next session!

#contrastoncampus #studentcorner #guestlecture #workshop #paralegal

Commercial & corporate update: Civil Code Book 7

Yesterday 16 April 2024, the proposal regarding a new Book 7 ‘Special Contracts’ of the Civil Code was submitted to the Belgian Chamber of Representatives. This proposal marks an important next step in the general reform of the Belgian Civil Code. 

The text covers, among other things, sale, rental and service agreements and will thus be relevant for all Belgian companies.

You can read the text of the proposal here 👉 https://www.dekamer.be/FLWB/PDF/55/3973/55K3973001.pdf

Be sure to follow our page, so we can keep you updated! 

#contrastupdate #civilcode #corporatelaw #commerciallaw

Eid Mubarak!

contrast wishes everyone who celebrates a blessed Eid filled with peace and joy!

We want to take this opportunity to thank our invaluable colleague Rachid. We are incredibly grateful to keep our offices in tip-top shape and are very appreciative of his relentless kindness and thoughtfulness. 

Eid Mubarak! ✨🌙

#contrastvibes #eid2024 #eidmubarak