Competition & Regulation

+ 33 other experts

Strategic competition advice for multinational clients, globally

… in enforcement actions and transactions, with an emphasis on Europe. Active across almost the entire spectrum of Competition and Regulatory law, our large, integrated Amsterdam/Brussels-based team handles multiple complex matters in parallel fashion.

We have experience in obtaining clearance of complex merger control cases involving potential remedies before the European Commission and other competition agencies worldwide. Our team has handled many high-profile, data-intensive cartel cases before the European Commission, and has a track record of getting fines annulled before the European Courts.

We have extensive experience of taking the lead in cross-border matters with tight cost control measures in place, and efficiently coordinate merger filings, often in numerous jurisdictions, worldwide. We are involved in all pending civil cartel damage actions in the Netherlands, and work closely together with our civil litigation specialists to assist our clients in their most complex matters.

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EXPERTISE ANCHORED AT THE HEART OF EUROPE

Our cross-border capability in Europe is second to none.

Over the years, we have earned a reputation for getting enforcement actions neutralised and complex transactions cleared. We collaborate closely with those law firms which form part of our network of Best Friends and together form one of the largest European competition practices in Brussels. We cover all of the major European jurisdictions and are ranked as the best by the legal directories in each of these jurisdictions.

More than 175 Lawyers
40+ Brussels-based lawyers
Across 7 EU member states

Our Brussels Office

The team's knowledge and understanding of the matter were outstanding, and the pace of the work was exceptionally high. (...) The lawyers are knowledgeable about the law, but also about our industry. They are easy to work with and provide to-the-point advice.

Chambers Europe, 2026
Chambers Europe, 2026

Insights

21 May 2026

Europe’s new draft merger guidelines: an evolved framework for a competitive era

The European Commission has published its new and highly anticipated Draft Merger Guidelines, the first comprehensive restatement of EU merger assessment in almost two decades. The draft consolidates two previously separate instruments into a single analytical framework organised by competitive effect rather than merger type. Its most consequential change is the formal introduction of a theory of benefit as a central analytical concept, sitting alongside the established theory of harm from the outset of any transaction review. The Commission has also significantly broadened the analysis, with an expanded list of harms and benefits that can play a role in the overall assessment. Although the Commission is not exactly ''relaxing'' the rules to create "European champions", it is certainly widening their application and recalibrating its approach to deal reviews by offering much more room for broader policy considerations.
10 March 2026

Competition law in the digital age: Best Friends newsletter

This is the March edition of the Competition Law in the Digital Age newsletter. Our quarterly publication provides insights on modern-day competition law developments in a bite-sized format.This edition focuses on:
13 February 2026

Side-by-side: will acceptance of US minimum taxation standards impact EU competitiveness?

On 5 January 2026, the OECD published the Side-by-Side (SbS) Package. This package complements the OECD Inclusive Framework's model rules aimed at securing global 15% minimum taxation for large multinationals (referred to as "Pillar 2"). These minimum taxation rules have been implemented within the EU with effect from 1 January 2024.