Celebrating our commitment to sustainability

Sustainability is an ongoing journey, shaped by many small, concrete actions across the firm.

Last Thursday, Karlien De Ryck and Vanessa Elsen, members of our ESG team, received our second ESG certificate at the VOKA event.

Thank you to all contrasters for their continued drive and for the support of Adriana Wilmots as VCDO advisor.

Stay tuned for more updates on our ESG actions.

#sustainability #ESG #SDG #sustainableentrepreneurship #VCDO #contrastcares

Because sustainability starts close to home

At 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭, sustainability is something we actively put into practice. That’s why we decided to roll up our sleeves again, grabbed our bin bags, litter pickers, and headed outside to clean up the streets surrounding our office. It may seem like a small gesture, but small gestures also matter.

𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞? Visit the website of Mooimakers 👉 https://lnkd.in/gv3p_DH. Together we can contribute step by step to a cleaner and more sustainable community.

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

In the Picture - What's in a name? Food names in 2026.

𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞 ... 💭

You’re a marketer at a forward-thinking food manufacturer. The new plant-based range, featuring products such as ‘vegan milk’ and ‘veggie steak’, and the non-alcoholic range, with drinks such as “0% rum”, is ready for launch.

You deliberately chose names that consumers are familiar with. That way, customers immediately understand how to use the products. You’re taken aback, because shortly before the launch, Legal asks you: ‘Are we actually allowed to call these products that?’

𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞? Read our latest #inthepicture ‘What’s in a name? Food names in 2026’ here, or contact our commercial associate Gitte Wauters.

#commerciallaw #eulaw #foodlabeling #consumerprotection #foodcompliance #misleadingpractices #contrastpublications

Last weekend, contrast was on the move

𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐝, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞

⚽ On Saturday, the 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭 football team took part in the Brulex Summer Cup for the first time. There were quick sprints, great team play and impressive goals. Annabelle also won the Penalty Cup in the women’s division.

🏃 On Sunday, several colleagues laced up their running shoes for the ‘Advocatenrun’, taking on the 5 or 10 km course.

We would like to congratulate all supporters and contrasters – Jules, Kristof, Sebastien, Ine, Astrid, Annabelle, Karlien, Camille, Juliette, Maarten, Vincent – for their sporting efforts.

We are proud of our team for going the extra mile!

Check out the photos here.

#brulexcup #football #sport #advocatenrun #contrastcares

The EU foreign investment screening landscape continues to evolve

On 8 June 2026, the Council adopted the revised EU FDI Screening Regulation. The revised Regulation will apply by the end of 2027. It goes further than the existing screening regime in that it requires all EU Member States to have a screening mechanism in place for a common minimum scope of sensitive sectors, technologies, and infrastructure (such as dual-use items and military equipment, critical raw materials, artificial intelligence, energy, transport and digital infrastructure). All EU Member States must assess whether their existing regime needs to be updated.

In parallel, EU legislators are working on the Industrial Accelerator Act. If adopted, the Commission’s proposal would introduce additional requirements for certain foreign investments above EUR 100 million in sectors such as batteries, electric vehicles, solar PV, and critical raw materials.

Foreign investment screening is here to stay and is becoming an increasingly relevant part of transaction planning and strategic investment analysis across the EU.

👉 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:
• Approved FDI Regulation
• Proposed Industrial Accelerator Act

👉 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬? Feel free to reach out to our competition team or your usual contact at 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭. We assist clients with assessing FDI risks, transaction structuring, filing strategies and interactions with the relevant authorities.

#FDI #FDIScreening #foreigndirectinvestment #EULaw #MandA #contrastupdate #contrastlaw

Strengthening internal communication at contrast

We believe that strong internal communication makes a real difference for our people.

That’s why Evi Noël, paralegal-counsel and internal communications manager at 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭, recently completed an in-depth five-day training programme in internal communications, further broadening her expertise in this field.

It’s a conscious investment in clearer communication, stronger alignment and more transparency across the firm, because a well-informed team is a stronger team.

#internalcommunication h#continuouslearning #contrasttalent #contrastlaw

M&A Survey in full swing

It has been a busy and inspiring week around our M&A Survey.

Last Friday, we were pleased to welcome a strong turnout to our first online M&A Survey lunch bite, including contributors who could not join us at the live event. During the session, Bart Bellen, together with Kristof De Wael, Maarten Cnudde and Marthe Wouters, guided participants through they key results of the 6th edition of our Survey.

Today, Marthe Wouters and Kristof De Wael continued the momentum during a seminar at NCOI, where they shared insights on the current M&A landscape.

A sincere thank you to all those who contributed to the Survey and participated in these events.

Feel free to reach out to our team if you have any questions or would like to stay informed of further updates on the M&A Survey: survey@contrast.law

#MandASurvey #corporatelaw #MandA #MNA #continuouslearning #meetcontrast

Strengthening internal communication at contrast

We believe that strong internal communication makes a real difference for our people.

That’s why Evi Noël, paralegal-counsel and internal communications manager at 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭, recently completed an in-depth five-day training programme in internal communications, further broadening her expertise in this field.

It’s a conscious investment in clearer communication, stronger alignment and more transparency across the firm, because a well-informed team is a stronger team.

#internalcommunication #continuouslearning #contrasttalent #contrastlaw

This year we're a little extra... festive!

We celebrate the 20th anniversary of 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭 with lots of activities for our clients, peers, team and... alumni.

Over the past 20 years, we have worked together with many wonderful people, each of whom has played a significant part in the 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭 story.

An alumni event felt like the perfect occasion to reconnect with former colleagues to celebrate that journey together. Last Thursday, we invited them to raise a glass together in our beautiful garden.

We thank all alumni who joined us for this special occasion. We hope you enjoyed the sunny weather, the delicious food and the many conversations.

Follow #20yearscontrast on LinkedIn to stay updated on all our anniversary activities. There is more to come! 😉

#lawfirm #alumni #20yearscontrast #goodvibes

Cartel damages: proving harm is harder than it seems

In a recent article published in SEW, our partner Sebastien Engelen and senior associate Lise Ryckaert analyse the Brussels Court of Appeal’s judgment of 18 November 2024 on the European Commission’s damages claim following the 2007 Elevators cartel decision.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲? Even where a cartel infringement is established, claimants still face a high evidentiary burden to prove actual harm and causation. In this case, despite a confirmed infringement, the Commission’s claim ultimately failed due to lack of concrete evidence of harm and causation.

Interestingly, by contrast more recent case law (Ghent Court of Appeal, Trucks cartel, 15 September 2025) points to a more pragmatic approach, with Belgian courts increasingly willing to estimate damages where precise proof is difficult.

This analysis highlights the growing importance of the EU Damages Directive (including, among other things, the presumption of harm and enhanced access to evidence), as well as the decisive role of judicial assessment in cartel damages claims.

👉 You can read the full analysis here.

Feel free to reach out if you’d like to discuss further or have any questions.

#competitionlaw #EUlaw #carteldamages #legalinsights #contrastpublications