Belgian Merger Control Reviews Impact M&A Timelines

The Belgian Competition Authority (BCA) has, for the first time, published anoverview of its merger control enforcement activities. It tells a story of how several organizational measures have positively impacted the BCA's merger control enforcement practice in recent years. Nevertheless, despite relatively low intervention levels, merging parties should be aware of the potential for lengthy investigations.

The authority also gives pointers to merging parties on how they can help speed up the review period, particularly during the pre-notification phase.

All of this fits with a growing trend for antitrust authorities across the globe to take steps to streamline processes and inject more pace into their merger control reviews.