European law

European law refers to the law of the European Union. It consists of a diversity of treaties, regulations, directives, resolutions, recommendations and opinions of the European Union. Case law of the courts of the European Union is part of the entirety also.

This tangle of rules intervenes immediately with the day-to-day business of companies. The specialized lawyers of bureau Brandeis assist companies to act in accordance with European law in order to operate smoothly.

European law affects Dutch law on several ways, for example by means of the implementation of European directives. European regulations are binding legislative acts of the European Union. The Netherlands is obligated to apply the regulation in its jurisdiction. The lawyers of bureau Brandeis monitor the developments in the field of European law closely (e.g. green papers, white papers, consultation rounds and case-law) and act actively in consultation rounds also. As we discuss among each other the recent developments in the field of European law extensively, we are aware of the latest state of affairs.

Antitrust

Competition law is an important part of European law for companies. European competition law is enshrined in the Competitive Trading Act (Mededingingswet). The intended purpose of competition law is to achieve efficient competition within the European internal market. By means of European competition law anticompetitive behavior of undertakings that restricts competition is in principle incompatible with the internal market, at the same time European competition law facilitates the correct compliance with its rules.

Competition law consists of rules relating to the cartel, abuse of dominance and state aid prohibitions and to merger control. The authorities observe mergers and acquisitions by means of merger control. They also investigate cartels and punish cartelists and market operators that abuse their dominant position.

Antitrust Damages Directive

After the Netherlands Authority for Consumers & Markets or the European Commission have punished parties that acted in breach of European competition law, the injured parties of the cartel may claim damages on grounds of the Antitrust Damages Directive. The Netherlands is a well-liked jurisdiction for cartel damages litigation. bureau Brandeis is known for challenging the status quo and has a preference for those that create change in the market place, the challengers. bureau Brandeis is involved in various cases in this field.