Dealer consolidations: Does the BCA's practice need tuning?

The Belgian car dealership landscape is undergoing a wave of consolidation. A large number of dealer mergers requires approval from the Belgian Competition Authority (BCA). How does the BCA handle these mergers? Is its methodology still aligned with the realities of the sector?

In the latest edition of the journal Competitio (2025/2), our competition partner Herlinde Burez and counsel Mathieu Vancaillie take a critical look at the BCA’s approach to reviewing mergers in the automotive distribution sector. This article offers a deep dive into:
• the legal and economic context of dealer mergers;
• the market definition, including the debate around the existence of system markets or rather separate (and brand-specific?) aftersales markets; and
• the competition analysis.

The authors raise questions about transparency, efficiency, and the need for a broader and realistic perspective in assessing competition risks.

𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝? 👉 Read the full article in Competitio 2025/2, or on our website.

#competitionlaw #automotive #BCA #mergercontrol #Competitio #contrastpublications

Recap: contrast connects workshop - Legal Aspects of International Trade Associations

Brussels hosts around 2000 international trade associations under Belgian law.

Reason for 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 to organise a closed workshop and for our 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 and 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 teams to share practical insights on:
✅ Corporate and governance structure of IVZW / AISBL
✅ Corporate and competition law ins-and-outs of day-to-day operations
✅ Competition law compliance

The workshop sparked engaging discussions and valuable exchanges of best practices, followed by a networking lunch.

💡 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐬?
Feel free to email us at connects@contrast.law and we will keep you informed!

A big thank you to all participants for making this session a success!

#contrastconnects #competitionlaw #corporatelaw #internationalassociations #IVZW #AISBL

Juliette, Gitte and Astrid take the oath

𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞: 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐣𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐰𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐚𝐭𝐡!

We are happy to share that our three new junior lawyers, Juliette Powis, Gitte Wauters and Astrid Jamaer, officially took their oath at the Brussels Bar. 🎉

Juliette, Gitte and Astrid joined our firm last week, following summer internships and roles as research assistants at our firm. They will strengthen our teams, respectively in competition & EU, commercial and corporate.

We want to congratulate them on this significant milestone in their legal careers and wish them every success as they embark on this exciting new journey!

#lawstudents #lawfirm #lawyers #newhires #welcome #contrastvibes #contrasttalent

contrast walks for a cleaner future

Last weekend, a group of motivated colleagues at 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭 took on the A.S. Adventure Walk, covering an impressive 20 kilometres through Brussels.

By participating, our team proudly contributed to River Cleanup, an organisation committed to removing plastic pollution from rivers and waterways across the globe.

A heartfelt thank you to all colleagues who took part and helped turn steps into impact.

Learn more about River Cleanup and how you can help via their website 👉 www.river-cleanup.org

#ESG #sustainability #sustainableentrepreneurship #RiverCleanup #wellbeingatwork #VCDO #contrastcares

ECJ judgment in RFC Seraing case: why parties can't escape EU law via arbitration

As reported earlier (see our LinkedIn post: https://lnkd.in/eCe-BHqR), in a preliminary ruling of 1 August 2025, the EU Court of Justice ruled that arbitral awards, such as those issued by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), cannot automatically be considered binding in EU Member States when EU public policy is at stake.

In their recent contribution in De Juristenkrant of 24 september 2025, our dispute resolution counsel Benjamin Magnus and associate Marie-Julie Kormoss discuss the ECJ judgment. They explore the broader implications for (sports) arbitration and explain how the judgment confirms the role of national courts as gatekeepers of fair dispute resolution.

𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨?

🔗 Read the full article (in Dutch) below or on our website: https://lnkd.in/ewMKMjgZ

🔗 You can read the ECJ judgment here: https://lnkd.in/eEHgzA-i

𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬? Feel free to contact Benjamin, Marie-Julie, or your usual contact person at 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭.

#ECJ #DisputeResolution #Arbitration #SportsLaw #CAS #CompetitionLaw #contrastpublications

Join contrast at the following student events

𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚 𝐥𝐚𝐰 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞? 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐧𝐨 𝐟𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫!

At 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭, we offer a variety of internships tailored for law students:
• Internships during winter, spring or summer (1 month),
• Weekly internships as research assistant (1 or 2 days per week),
• Bar internships as junior lawyer in one of our practice areas.

You can count on us for enriching internships with interesting cases, a strong team spirit, and personalised guidance and training.

𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐮𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫? Mark these dates in your agenda and come meet us at the following events:
• 𝟐𝟎 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 – Networking event with ELSA Gent (Cellarium - Sint-Pietersabdij)
• 𝟑𝟎 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 – UGent Job fair with Vlaams Rechtsgenootschap Gent (VRG) (ICC)
• 𝟑𝟎 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 – UA Jobdays with ELSA Antwerpen (Handelsbeurs)
• 𝟑 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝟒 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 – KU Leuven campus interviews
• 𝟏𝟐 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 – VUB Job fair with ELSA Brussel (Usquare VUB)
• 𝟏𝟑 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 – KU Leuven Job fair with Vlaams Rechtsgenootschap (VRG) (Brabanthal)
• 𝟏𝟕 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 – UA campus interviews
• 𝟏𝟕 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 – Networking event with ELSA Leuven (Faculty Club Leuven)

Already interested in meeting us? Send us your CV today via our website.

Our team looks forward to meeting you!

#lawstudents #lawfirm #jobfairs #legalinternship #meetcontrast #contraststudentcorner #fitforpurpose

In the Picture - Arbitration: final destination or simple stopover?

𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞 ... 💭

One of your business partners claims that your company is abusing its dominant position and threatens to go to court to stop that abuse and claim damages. An amicable solution proves impossible to reach.

To avoid a protracted legal battle before the courts, you propose that the dispute be settled through arbitration. The other party agrees, the arbitration proceedings run smoothly and the outcome is positive: the arbitrators reject the alleged abuse of a dominant position.

You are relieved until you receive a message from your solicitor a few weeks later. Apparently, the other party does not accept the ruling and is still going to court. You frown. Is this possible? Wasn't arbitration final?

𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞? Read our latest #inthepicture ‘Arbitration: final destination or simple stopover? ’ here, or contact our dispute resolution counsel Benjamin Magnus or associate Marie-Julie Kormoss.

#disputeresolution #arbitration #competitionlaw #sportslaw #CourtOfJusticeEU #CASArbitration #FIFARegulation

World Cleanup Day at contrast

In honour of World Cleanup Day on 20 September, our team contributed to a cleaner and greener neighbourhood by collecting litter in the streets surrounding our office. Equipped with litter pickers and bin bags, we removed bottles, plastic wrappers, and other waste from public spaces.

At 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭, we believe that small actions can lead to meaningful change. This initiative is one of the ways we aim to support a more sustainable and responsible environment.

A big thank you to everyone who took part, and to the City of Zaventem for kindly providing the materials that made this possible.

Want to know how you can make an impact in your own neighbourhood? Visit the website of Mooimakers 👉 https://lnkd.in/gUJQ-eqw

#sustainability #VCDO #ESG #worldcleanupday #communityimpact #duurzaamondernemen #contrastcares

Team spirit, sea breeze, and a whole lot of laughter

Last Friday, we swapped our desks for the Belgian coast and headed to De Haan for our annual team building weekend.

We kicked off the day with a guided go-car tour, discovering the rich history and hidden gems of the coastal town. The afternoon brought out our competitive side with fun team games on the beach, followed by an adrenaline-filled rafting session. We ended the evening with a beachside barbecue, enjoying a stunning sunset to end the day.

We at 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭 are grateful for moments like these to bring us closer together, recharge our spirits, and remind us why teamwork matters.

A big thank you to the 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭 vibes team for organising this weekend getaway!

#Team #TeamBuilding #LawFirm #TeamSpirit #FunAtWork #LawFirmLife #thecontrastisclear #contrastvibes

Paralegal Day 2025

Our colleagues Ine Schockaert, corporate counsel, and Marthe Wouters, corporate paralegal, will be speaking again at this year’s Paralegal Day on 𝟐𝟑 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓. The Paralegal Day is an annual, full-day congress designed specifically for paralegals and legal support professionals with the possibility to follow inspiring keynotes and network with other professionals in the field. We have been a returning speaker at the event for a number of years now, and are always proud to contribute!

In their session, Ine and Marthe will guide participants through the complexities of corporate housekeeping, offering useful and practical tools to manage company administration more efficiently.

Sounds interesting? Check out the website of NCOI Learning for more information.

See you there!

#paralegal #corporatelaw #continuouslearning #keynote #corporatehousekeeping #meetcontrast