News
Read our latest news
In the Picture - CTRL + SHIFT + INVOICE: The 2026 e-volution
๐๐ฆ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ ... ๐ญ
You run a small but thriving Belgian design agency. Your days are filled with creativity: branding projects, website mock-ups, packaging concepts. You work with retailers, manufacturers, and service providers, and youโve built strong relationships with your clients over the years.
At the end of each month, you sit down with a cup of coffee and open your invoicing software. You generate a pdf for each client, attach it to an email, and send it off. Itโs a rhythm you know well. Itโs simple, efficient, and has worked for years.
Then, one morning, your accountant sends you a message: โStarting January 1, 2026, you must issue structured electronic invoices for all B2B transactions.โ You frown. Structured? Electronic? Arenโt your pdfโs structured and electronic? They have all the right fields. Theyโre digital. Youโve never had a complaint.
๐๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐? Read our latest #inthepicture โCTRL + SHIFT + INVOICE: The 2026 E-volutionโ on our website, or contact our commercial partner Milena Varga or counsel Laurence Vanhyfte.
#commerciallaw #einvoicing #B2Btransactions #peppol #belgianlaw
Welcome to our new contraster, Vincent!
Weโre pleased to announce that Vincent Caenepeel has joined our commercial team as an associate.
We warmly welcome him and wish him an exciting start. Good luck Vincent!
Also interested in joining ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ? Take a look at our open positions ๐ https://lnkd.in/eDn2X5td
#lawyers #associate #commerciallaw #careergrowth #contrasttalent
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 BCAโs approach to reviewing mergers in the automotive distribution sector. This article offers a deep dive into:
โข the legal and economic context of dealer mergers;
โข the market definition, including the debate around the existence of system markets or rather separate (and brand-specific?) aftersales markets; and
โข the competition analysis.
The authors raise questions about transparency, efficiency, and the need for a broader and realistic perspective in assessing competition risks.
๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐? ๐ 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 ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ง๐๐๐ญ๐ฌ to organise a closed workshop and for our ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง and ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ teams to share practical insights on:
โ
Corporate and governance structure of IVZW / AISBL
โ
Corporate and competition law ins-and-outs of day-to-day operations
โ
Competition law compliance
The workshop sparked engaging discussions and valuable exchanges of best practices, followed by a networking lunch.
๐ก ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ง๐๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฉ๐ฌ?
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
๐๐๐ซ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ง๐: ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐จ๐ซ ๐ฅ๐๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐จ๐๐ญ๐ก!
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. ๐
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 ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ 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 ๐ www.river-cleanup.org
#ESG #sustainability #sustainableentrepreneurshipย #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.
๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐จ?
๐ Read the full article (in Dutch) below or on our website: https://lnkd.in/ewMKMjgZ
๐ You can read the ECJ judgment here: https://lnkd.in/eEHgzA-i
๐๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ? Feel free to contact Benjamin, Marie-Julie, or your usual contact person at ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ.
#ECJ #DisputeResolution #Arbitration #SportsLaw #CAS #CompetitionLaw #contrastpublications
Join contrast at the following student events
๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ง ๐ข๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐? ๐๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐ง๐จ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ!
At ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ, we offer a variety of internships tailored for law students:
โข Internships during winter, spring or summer (1 month),
โข Weekly internships as research assistant (1 or 2 days per week),
โข 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.
๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ? Mark these dates in your agenda and come meet us at the following events:
โข ๐๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐๐ โ Networking event with ELSA Gent (Cellarium - Sint-Pietersabdij)
โข ๐๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐๐ โ UGent Job fair with Vlaams Rechtsgenootschap Gent (VRG) (ICC)
โข ๐๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐๐ โ UA Jobdays with ELSA Antwerpen (Handelsbeurs)
โข ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐๐ โ KU Leuven campus interviews
โข ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐๐ โ VUB Job fair with ELSA Brussel (Usquare VUB)
โข ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐๐ โ KU Leuven Job fair with Vlaams Rechtsgenootschap (VRG) (Brabanthal)
โข ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐๐ โ UA campus interviews
โข ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐๐ โ 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?
๐๐ฆ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ ... ๐ญ
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?
๐๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐? Read our latest #inthepicture โArbitration: final destination or simple stopover? โ 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 ofย World Cleanup Dayย on 20 September, our team contributed to a cleaner and greener neighbourhood by collecting litterย in the streets surrounding our office. Equipped with litter pickers and bin bags, we removed bottles, plastic wrappers, and other waste from public spaces.
Atย ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ, 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 theย City of Zaventemย 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 ofย Mooimakersย ๐ https://lnkd.in/gUJQ-eqw
#sustainability #VCDO #ESG #worldcleanupday #communityimpact #duurzaamondernemen #contrastcares
