CMS DeBacker’s Competition & European team provides you with detailed and expert advice on competition and European law issues.

We act for public and private clients in the following areas among others:

• Competition law (abuses of dominant position, cartels, mergers) 
• State aid 
• EU Litigation (Preliminary ruling – Interpretation, Direct actions, Representing Member States for alleged failure to fulfil EC obligations, Actions seeking compensation for damage, Interim proceedings) 
• Liberalisation (Energy, Handling, Telecommunications and Utilities) 
• EU Freedoms (Establishment, Services, Capital and Persons) 
• Contracts with the European Institutions and European structural funds 

Our team has unrivalled experience, at both European & national level, in these challenging practice areas through regular notifications or complaints to the European Commission or the Belgian Competition Council or through litigation before the European Courts.

Thanks to our broad experience, we can offer to clients:

1. Co-ordinated solutions - The team operates and functions openly in a fully integrated law firm. It can therefore adapt very easily to clients’ needs and expectations and bring a co-ordinated solution to the specifics of each file or matter. 
2. A very pragmatic approach, regarded by clients as being solution-driven and result-oriented. 
3. Local Presence - Based in Brussels, all the lawyers in the European team benefit from a sound working knowledge of the European institutions and are frequently in contact with their EC counterparts. 
4. International Capability - The strong and highly integrated European practice of CMS offers a unique international capability to our clients when cross-border or trans-national work is involved. The CMS Competition Practice Group has 110 lawyers across 24 countries making it one of the largest competition teams within Europe. 
5. Solid reputation - CMS DeBacker enjoys an enviable reputation in relation to European Law and specifically with regard to Competition law, State aid, EU Litigation and European and International Civil Service matters, areas in which the firm has acted on many high-profile cases.

Advising a wide range of clients and sectors
Regulatory questions can be one of the most complicated and vexing issues facing your company today. Competition and regulatory authorities today possess far-reaching powers to prohibit M&A deals, impose sanctions and require divestment of merged businesses. We have advised clients from a wide variety of sectors on regulatory and competition issues, including:

• Public authorities and public companies 
• Airlines
• Airports 
• Banks and financial institutions 
• Utility companies (electricity, gas, water) 
• Chemicals and pharmaceuticals 
• Telecommunications 
• Logistics and transports 
• Aerospace 
• European and national associations of undertakings