On 25 March 2019, the Belgian Competition Authority
(Belgische Mededingingsautoriteit / Autorité belge de la
Concurrence - "BCA") decided to partially lift
specific merger commitments imposed on Kinepolis. It is the most
recent development in a legal saga that has mesmerised the Belgian
cinema sector for more than twenty years.
The case started in November 1997, when the former Belgian
Competition Council (later replaced by the BCA) cleared the
concentration between the Claeys and Bert cinema groups to
establish the Kinepolis group. The decision was conditional on
several commitments, imposed for an indefinite period of time,
including the obligation on Kinepolis to obtain the prior approval
from the BCA concerning any form of growth, including organic
growth (the obligation thus caught any increase in the number of
screens or seats operated by Kinepolis).
