The Legal 500 > Steptoe & Johnson LLP > Brussels, BELGIUM

Steptoe & Johnson LLP

AVENUE LOUISE 489, 3RD FLOOR, 1050 BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

Tel:: Work +32 2 626 0500
Fax:: Fax +32 2 626 0510

Web:: www.steptoe.com

Washington DC, Phoenix, New York, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, London and 3 more

TOP tier recommendations

Belgium: EU regulatory > Chemicals (REACH)
Belgium: EU regulatory > Environment (including WEEE and RoHS)
Belgium: EU regulatory > Financial services
Belgium: EU regulatory > Food

Recommendations

Belgium: Competition > Competition

Belgium: Customs, trade, WTO and anti-dumping > Customs, trade, WTO and anti-dumping

Belgium: Competition

Within Competition, tier 4

Steptoe & Johnson LLP’s ‘truly organised’ team shows ‘quick understanding’ of financial and corporate issues pertaining to transatlantic competition cases. Its ‘excellent knowledge of the EC’ is appreciated by its large Asian client base, as is Robert Fleishman’s experience with US regulators in Washington DC. Yves Botteman is ‘a very passionate young partner’ with brilliant knowledge of antitrust law and cases. He recently represented RÉEL Group SAS in an abuse of dominance complaint against Rio Tinto Alcan and advised Japan Airlines on Article TFEU 101 questions relating to its arrangement with British Airways for Europe.

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Belgium: Customs, trade, WTO and anti-dumping

Within Customs, trade, WTO and anti-dumping, Steptoe & Johnson LLP is a second tier firm,

Steptoe & Johnson LLP is best known for its trade remedies work but has developed its practice in other key areas such as litigation before the EU Courts and advising on bilateral EU FTA free trade agreement negotiations. Practice head James Searles is recognised for his EU-China trade expertise. Guy Soussan is also recommended.

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Belgium: EU regulatory

Within Chemicals (REACH), Steptoe & Johnson LLP is a first tier firm,

Steptoe & Johnson LLP gives ‘practical advice’ and advocacy support on regulatory compliance and market access. Darren Abrahams shows ‘awareness of many legal issues coming from REACH and CLP’, while Anna Gergely has ‘extensive knowledge’ of food contact regulations. Clients include EuropaBio and Lonza.

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Within Environment (including WEEE and RoHS), Steptoe & Johnson LLP is a first tier firm,

Steptoe & Johnson LLP provides ‘practical advice and solutions’ that go beyond the black letter law. Areas of specialism include waste regulation, environmental remediation and the new EU rules concerning environmental labelling of tyres. Darren Abrahams and the ‘knowledgeable’ Anna Gergely have practices spanning advisory and contentious work, and recently represented a chemicals company in litigation against environmental NGOs.

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Within Financial services, Steptoe & Johnson LLP is a first tier firm,

Steptoe & Johnson LLP’s superb banking and insurance advisory practice acts for various Swiss banks on dealings with EU institutions. Jean Russotto is ‘an excellent manager of difficult situations’, and has ‘unique experience’ in bank-related proceedings before the EC. Guy Soussan and Philip Woolfson advise insurers, reinsurers and risk managers on cross-border products, the Insurance Mediation Directive and equivalence procedures under Solvency II.

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Within Food, Steptoe & Johnson LLP is a first tier firm,

Steptoe & Johnson LLP’s food contact specialist Anna Gergely has a busy advisory and contentious practice acting for food and chemicals manufacturers. She successfully represented Microban at the General Court in a case concerning food contact plastics. Darren Abrahams advised a dietary supplements company on market access.

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Further information on Steptoe & Johnson LLP

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Legal Developments in Belgium

Legal Developments and updates from the leading lawyers in each jurisdiction. To contribute, send an email request to

EU: Energy prices and lack of competitiveness high on the agenda of the European Council

On 22 May 2013, the European Council met in Brussels to discuss two matters that are crucial for the recovery of the EU economies: energy, and tax fraud and eva-sion. This briefing looks at the Council’s conclusions on energy.

- Schönherr
Financial Leasing qualified by the European Court of justice as a supply of goods

The European Court of Justice categorises the leasing of a motor vehicule under a financial leasing as a supply of goods and not as a supply of services.

- Monard - D'Hulst
Public Offers and admissions to trading on european regulated markets

By July 1st, 2012 the Directive 2010/73/EU of the European Parliament and the Council of 24 November 2010 amending the Prospectus Directive and the Transparency Directive has to be transposed by Member States into their national law. The Directive 2010/73/EU is aimed at simplifying the application of the prospectus rules.

- Monard - D'Hulst
Result bonus (CBA 90): the maximum amount for 2013 is 2.488 EUR

For bonus plans paid in 2013, the maximum social security and tax exemption limit will be 2.488 EUR.

- Claeys & Engels, member of Ius Laboris
Working as a student after completion of studies?

The NSSO adopts a clear position on the issue: the young graduates who graduated in June will be able to continue to work under an agreement for student employment until 30 September of the current year.

- Claeys & Engels, member of Ius Laboris
Constitutional Court retains the current level of protection offered to employee representatives

The Belgian Constitutional Court considers that the protection against dismissal afforded to (candidate) employee representatives in the Works Council and/or the Committee for Prevention and Protection at Work does not violate the principle of equality.

- Claeys & Engels, member of Ius Laboris
Liability of directors of Belgian companies to the social security in a European context

For the application of European law, the location where a professional activity is exercised is the location where, in practical terms, the person concerned carries out the actions connected with that activity.

- Claeys & Engels, member of Ius Laboris
The unemployment with company allowance regime: the most recent adjustments

The regime of unemployment with company allowance (formally known as prepension/prépension/brugpensioen) has been modified several times in recent months. Following comments by the social partners, it was announced that a number of measures would be liberalised. This has now been done by the Royal Decree of 20 September 2012, which modifies the Royal Decree of 3 May 2007 regulating the regime of unemployment with company allowance.

- Claeys & Engels, member of Ius Laboris
Finally, the European Blue Card available in Belgium for highly-skilled employees

Starting Monday 10 September 2012, a "European Blue Card" can be issued to certain highly-skilled non-EEA employees. This will allow them to work and reside in Belgium.

- Claeys & Engels, member of Ius Laboris
Fight against the gender wage gap - measures to be taken within the company

The Act of 22 April 2012 aimed at fighting against the gender wage gap, published in the Belgian Official Gazette on 28 August, introduces several new requirements with practical implications for companies. In all companies that must file annual accounts, wage data contained in the annual social report will from now on have to be broken down by workers' gender.

- Claeys & Engels, member of Ius Laboris