The Legal 500 > Europe, Middle East & Africa > Netherlands > EU and competition

De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek offers 'practical and clear' advice and its practice is active across the entire spectrum of competition law. The firm has notable experience in international competition litigation, cartel and fraud investigations, merger control, and state aid. Practice head Jolling de Pree is acting for British Airways in multiple follow-on actions in the Netherlands relating to the alleged air cargo cartel. Also noted are Helen Gornall, Bart de Rijke, Machteld de Monchy, and senior associates Stephanie The, Gurgen Hakopian, and Zeynep Ortac. Maikel Van Wissen joined from Linklaters and divides his time between Amsterdam and Brussels.

Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn NV's team's clients include the three largest Dutch municipalities and it is the permanent advisor to the municipality of Amsterdam on the Services Directives and the allocation of scarce rights. Practice head Erik Pijnacker Hordijk is experienced in matters concerning merger control, cartels and abuse of dominance. Pijnacker represented the Dutch state in civil proceedings against several British citizens living in the Netherlands relating to their post-Brexit citizenship rights under EU law. Senior associate Christina Muntinghe and associates Marleen Botman and Georges Dictus are also recommended.

The competition and regulation team at Stibbe has an established presence in the fields of cartels, abuse of dominance, and follow-on damage litigation. The firm's key clients include Credit Suisse, Heineken, and Mars. Practice head Rein Wesseling, Christof Swaak, Floris ten Have are representing Credit Suisse in two high-profile cases regarding financial markets conduct. Jeroen Kortmann, associates Roos Elemans and Stijn de Jong are also noted.

Bird & Bird's competition department has 'proven to be an authority in this field'. The firm's focus lies in the information technology, communications, electronics, media, energy, banking and financial services sectors. Practice head Pauline Kuipers specialises in EU and Dutch competition law in regulated sectors, in particular telecoms, and media. Kuipers advised TGPNL during an investigation by the ACM. Other key members include Janneke Kohlen, Hein Hobbelen, associates Mariska van de Sanden and Piet-Hein Eijssen.

The Dentons team advises across the spectrum of competition and antitrust issues, with considerable experience in anti-trust litigation. Practice head Marc Kuijper is a 'very talented and insightful lawyer'; Kuijper is advising Turkish company Vestel in respect of a  €2bn claim against the cathode ray tube cartel. Also recommended is Bram Braat, who is 'an immense pleasure to work with'. Braat is acting for a Dutch technology startup SkyGeo in a public procurement dispute over whether the Dutch state has the right to put SkyGeo’s proprietary data into the public domain.

Houthoff has a full service EU and competition practice with cross-border capabilities. The firm has strong expertise in competition litigation, merger control and cartel investigations. Practice head Weyer VerLoren van Themaat possesses 'sound industry knowledge' and 'out of the box' thinking, evidenced by his representation of Singapore Airlines and Cargolux in numerous Dutch private enforcement proceedings. Also recommended are Gerrit Oosterhuis and Greetje van Heezik.

Loyens & Loeff's competition and regulatory practice is 'very pragmatic and solution driven' with significant experience in the life sciences, healthcare and food sectors. The firm's client roster includes Bayer, Achmea, AND ZN. The team is led by Marc Wiggers and Gert-Wim van de Meent, who represented 3i in relation to the competition aspects of its successful bid and subsequent acquisition of Joulz. Other key members of the team include Marc Custers, Robin Struijlaart, senior associates Natasja Brusik and Joost Dibbits.  

NautaDutilh's EU and competition team is 'very knowledgable, service oriented and facilitating'. The firm's practice displays expertise in private equity liability, cartel investigations and cartel damage litigation. A notable highlight for the firm has been its representation of Lufthansa and SWISS Air Lines in multiple follow-on cartel damages proceedings before the Dutch courts; new group head Mauricette Schaufeli, previously at PwC, as well as Philip Malanczuk and senior associate Arnout Koeman are key individuals involved in this case. Also recommended are Vincent Wellens, Stan Brijs and senior associate Jasper De fauw.

Banning NV's EU and competition practice has a strong reputation in cartel litigation and operates significantly in the construction and automotive industries. The firm's client roster include key names in the automotive industry such as Dealercouncils Citröen and Peugeot. Practice head Minos van Joolingen and Martijn Jongmans are jointly representing Via Location in bringing civil damages claims against the truck manufacturers before the Dutch courts. Marcel Groothuismink has joined the team from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.

BarentsKrans covers a wide range of EU and competition law including public procurement, state aid law, and cartel investigations. The team is praised not only for its expertise but also its 'understanding of the broader business challenges'. Joost Fanoy leads the practice and clients describe him as 'very knowledgable' with a 'sharp business mind'. The team is representing Macedonian Thrace Brewery with its follow-on litigation against Heineken and its Greek subsidiary Athenian Brewery. Also recommended is senior associate Tim Raats, a 'fantastic lawyer' with lots of experience.

Brinkhof has an experienced competition and regulatory practice, with particular recognition in regulated industries including telecoms, technology, media, life sciences and pharmaceuticals. The firm's key clients include KPN, Google, Toyota, and other leading industry names. A recent matter highlight for the firm is its representation of Nuon in proceedings relating to excessive pricing in the electricity sector; key individuals on this matter include practice head Pepijn van Ginneken and associate Hanneke Kooijman. Co-practice head Quinten Kroes, Remy Chavannes, Daan De Lange and associate Gaëlle Béquet are also noted.

The CMS EU and competition team handles contentious and non-contentious matters, particularly cartel proceedings. It handles merger notifications before the European Commission and ACM, evidenced by it advising Vattenfall in its acquisition of Delta Energie. Key clients include All Nippon Airways (ANA), the Port of Rotterdam, and Medtronic. The team is known for delivering 'quick' and 'practical' solutions and is led by practice heads Edmon Oude Elferink and Robert Bosman. Other key members include Roderick Nieuwmeyer and Annemieke Hazelhoff.

The DLA Piper team has a 'hands-on mentality' with particular expertise in M&A transactions, regularly advising clients in first- and second phase merger filings before the European Commission and the ACM. Recent mergers the firm has handled include the Société Générale and Carlyle Group transactions, both of which were led by Legal Director Martijn van Wanroij. In May 2018 the firm's practice was strengthened with the arrival of Legal Director Janet Meesters from Houthoff. Litigation and regulatory practice head Ewald Netten, competition practice head Léon Korsten and senior associate Sophie Gilliam are also noted.

Kennedy Van der Laan displays deep expertise in the banking and financial sector, regularly advising the three largest Dutch banks (ING, Rabobank, ABN AMRO). A notable matter highlight involved practice head Annemieke van der Beek and Martijn van Bemmel advising Dutch Payments Association regarding a dawn raid and the following procedure. Martine de Koning is another key member of the team and leads cases on abuse of dominance, vertical restraints and transfer of technology. Clients praise the competition team for its 'high-quality work' and 'professional, knowledgeable and practical lawyers'.

Maverick Advocaten N.V. is a boutique law firm with significant expertise in advising clients in competition law and regulated markets, specifically healthcare, telecoms and postal markets. Martijn van de Hel has a 'thorough knowledge of competition law' and jointly leads the practice with Diederik Schrijvershof; both are advising two large hospitals in the Rotterdam region (Erasmus MC and IJsselland Hospital) with their merger procedure at the Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa) and ACM.

Simmons & Simmons has a sector focus approach with significant cross-border capabilities, handling work in financial services, life sciences, TMT, energy and infrastructure sectors. The practice covers the entire range of competition law including anti-trust, merger control and state aid. The firm's regular clients include Aperam, Bridgestone, and Gilde Equity Management. Practice head Koen Platteau, who is based in Brussels, and Robert Hardy represented Aegon before the ACM in relation to its acquisition of Robidus from Avedon Capital Partners.

Stek displays strong antitrust litigation experience with a robust knowledge of EU and competition law. The firm's clientele includes Samsung SDI, L’Oréal, and Simpel. Berend Reuder and Ruben Elkerbout are joint heads of the competition team and Jan Erik Janssen leads the regulated markets team. Also noted is Mattijs Baneke, an 'impressive associate'.

Van Doorne has extensive experience of providing competition rules compliance advice and training. It also assists clients with ACM inquiries and the competition rules in relation to distribution arrangements. It has a  notable presence in the healthcare, retail, education, media and financial services sectors. The 'excellent' Sarah Beeston and Gijs Verberne jointly lead the team and clients praise them for their 'hands-on approach' and delivering 'constructive advice'. Associate Pim Jansen is also noted.

AKD's EU and competition team focus primarily on merger notifications and advising on compliance. Clients praise the team's 'approachable' nature and 'pragmatic thinking'. Practice head Pieter Kuypers is representing Vereniging Natuurmonumenten in a case brought by the European Commission regarding Dutch conservation organisations allegedly receiving illegal state aid. Also noted is senior associate Joost Houdijk, currently advising VINCI Energies in various merger filings at the ACM.

Baker McKenzie's EU and competition team is recognized for its cross-border capabilities and expertise in ACM investigations, internal corporate investigations, merger control and compliance. The firm's client roster includes Shell, Allianz, Biogen, and more. The team is led by Christiaan Van der Meer, who was promoted to partner in July 2019. Other key members of the team include Frank Kroes and Sjef Janssen.  

Clifford Chance's well-rated antitrust practice regularly advises on complex multi-jurisdictional merger control cases. A matter highlight includes advising Spotify on its submissions to the ACM as part of an investigation into mobile app stores. The practice head is Frans Muller, a 'sound, efficient and accessible lawyer'.

Eversheds Sutherland (Netherlands) B.V.'s EU, competition and trade practice is active in a wide range of fields including public procurement, compliance and behavioural work, cartels, verticals and merger control. The firm's key clients include G4S, Lyondell, and Archer Daniels Midland. Practice head Michel Chatelin has particular expertise in the energy sector. Also noted is senior associate Eline van Nimwegen who is knowledgeable in the health and life sciences sectors.

HVG Law LLP's competition and regulated markets team is known for handling vertical agreements and cartel defence work. The firm has a large portfolio of Japanese multinational clients including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Nichirei, and Hitachi Construction Machinery. Practice head Misha Lutje Beerenbroek, responsible for forming the firm's competition practice, has significant expertise in the food, retail, and heavy industries (machinery, waste, chemicals).

The Jones Day antitrust and competition practice combines extensive cross-border capabilities with solid knowledge of EU merger control law. The firm is advising Hino on merger control and antitrust compliance in relation to its strategic global partnership with TRATON. Practice head Yvan Desmedt is 'business oriented' and provides 'practical and tailored advice'. Coen Drion and associate Kornel Olsthoorn are also noted.