Belgian Competition Authority Issues Notice About Informal Opinions On Anticompetitive Practices

On 27 January 2015, the Belgian Competition Authority (Belgische Mededingingsautoriteit / Autorité belge de la Concurrence) ("BCA") published a notice on the handling of requests for an informal opinion by the President of the BCA (the "Notice").

Further to Article IV.20(1)2° of the Code of Economic Law (Wetboek van Economisch Recht / Code de droit économique), the President of the BCA is responsible for handling informal questions and disputes arising from the interpretation and implementation of the competition rules in cases where no formal investigation has been initiated. The Notice provides guidelines on the type of requests that will be considered by the President of the BCA and on the treatment of such requests. The Notice only applies to questions involving anticompetitive agreements and restrictive practices, since questions regarding the control of concentrations will be dealt with under the pre-notification procedure.