Competition: EU
Europe Guide 2024 : Belgium
Band 3
Email address
[email protected]Contact number
+32 2 501 9411About
Provided by Linklaters
Our Brussels-based team is markedly international and regarded by corporates, regulators and peers as one of the leading Antitrust & Foreign Investment practices. We are part of a worldwide group, which enables us to scale up easily and to rely on specific expertise or skills in other offices.
What sets us apart is our track record of success in dealing effectively and efficiently with complex matters by providing top-rate legal advice and astute strategic counselling, and our ability to access and talk easily with decision-makers, as well as our belonging to a broader, truly integrated team.
We handle cases before the European Commission, as well as across Europe and the world, co-ordinating filings for global deals or the defence in conduct investigations.
The practice has a strong track record assisting clients in merger reviews. We have successfully supported clients in getting their deals through in a number of challenging merger reviews.
We are at the forefront of defending clients in cartel investigations and other conduct investigations, including dominance cases. Our lawyers have first-hand experience in litigating as well as settling follow-on damages cases.
Our State Aid practice is among the very best in Brussels and we have assisted clients on investigations into banking rescue packages and tax rulings.
Please visit the Linklaters website for more details about our work in this category: https://www.linklaters.com/en/client-services/antitrust-and-foreign-investment
Chambers Review
Linklaters has handled standout consumer goods, life sciences and IT sector transactions that are subject to merger control investigations in the EU, and that often leverage the firm's wider network of competition teams for the coordination of global filings. The team has demonstrable experience in deals that raise significant foreign direct investment issues in multiple jurisdictions and is a key contact for investment firms. Linklaters has further experience representing companies in abuse of dominance investigations, and it attracts particular attention for its work on behalf of third-party interveners in key CJEU proceedings.
Work Highlights
- Linklaters acted for LeasePlan and TDR Capital on the phase I clearance of their EUR4.9 billion combination with ALD.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"The lawyers are extremely commercial and pragmatic."
"The individuals that I have worked with are extremely dedicated to helping their clients."
"The firm's lawyers have shown that they are able to cut through the most complex of facts and provide good and clear commercial advice which can be relied upon."
"The team at Linklaters has been great in handling our time-sensitive and complex matters. It got up to speed rapidly with the markets at issue and delivered tailor-made advice that guided us."
"The team always stays ahead of the curve, handles matters very proactively and offers great strategic thinking."
"The lawyers are extremely commercial and pragmatic."
"The individuals that I have worked with are extremely dedicated to helping their clients."
"The firm's lawyers have shown that they are able to cut through the most complex of facts and provide good and clear commercial advice which can be relied upon."
"The team at Linklaters has been great in handling our time-sensitive and complex matters. It got up to speed rapidly with the markets at issue and delivered tailor-made advice that guided us."
"The team always stays ahead of the curve, handles matters very proactively and offers great strategic thinking."
Notable Practitioners
Gerwin Van Gerven is a senior partner and a key name in Linklaters' Brussels-based EU competition team. He has notable experience in both merger filings and behavioural investigations.
Bernd Meyring heads Linklaters' competition team in Brussels and is admitted to practice in Germany and in Belgium. He is known for his work on behalf of third-party interveners in abuse of dominance cases. He also assists with merger and FDI filings, particularly for clients in the pharmaceutical and technology sectors.
"I can always reach him so I feel like his only client."
"Bernd Meyring has provided us with excellent, tailor-made advice in a timely and pragmatic manner. We would definitely work with him again in the future."
"Bernd Meyring is calm, listens and tries to understand before speaking."
"He is able to untangle things. He is a good adviser and keeps the global picture of our interests in mind."
Annamaria Mangiaracina makes her debut in the rankings this year on the back of glowing market support. She counts large multinationals amongst her client list, for which she advises on cross-border merger control and FDI filings before the European Commission and other national authorities, including - as an Italian-qualified lawyer - the ICA.
"Annamaria Mangiaracina is very experienced, very personable, you can trust her. On tricky issues you distinguish between lawyers you trust and she is one of those. I think highly of her on a technical and human side."
"Her strength is client service, she is someone who manages the process very well and she gets things organised very quickly as well. She is also a really good advocate so fights for her clients' interests very well."
"Annamaria Mangiaracina is insightful, practical, knowledgeable, commercial and personable."
"Maybe the most important thing about Annamaria Mangiaracina is that she is rigorous and smart. She is very thoughtful, super professional and organised."
"She is a really safe pair of hands, very reliable, responsive and nice to work with."
Ranked Lawyers at
Linklaters
Belgium