Belgian Competition Authority’s Post

Today, the Belgian Competition Authority (BCA) published the full text of its decision to fine Securitas, G4S, and Seris over €47 million for their involvement in illegal cartel practices between 2008 and 2020. These practices included price-fixing, bid-rigging, and no-poaching agreements, which distorted competition and harmed the economy. If your company used private security services during this period, you might have been affected by inflated prices or restricted competition. We are actively building a case to represent those impacted by these anti-competitive practices. Get in touch with LitFin - Litigation Financiers if you believe your business may have suffered harm. #CompetitionLaw #Antitrust #Cartels #BelgianCompetitionAuthority #Litigation #SecurityIndustry #PriceFixing #BidRigging

⚠⚠⚠ The Belgian Competition Authority #BCA just adopted the first #nopoach decision in Belgium (#competition #Belgium) 🔍 This case concerns the private security sector and relates to three infringements: (i) price fixing cartel; (ii) bid rigging (both public procurement and private tender procedures); and (iii) no-poaching arrangements. 🔍 Total fine of EUR 47 million. Securitas obtained immunity and was therefore not fined. The other parties, G4S and Seris, obtained reduced fines under the leniency and settlement programmes (EUR 36 million for G4S and EUR 11 million for Seris). 🔍 Four interesting features of this case: 💡 First no-poach case in Belgium, which the BCA considers to be an infringement by object. Unfortunately, this case will not be tested in court as the parties agreed to settle (which also means that the soon-to-be-published decision may be rather short). 💡This case has links to the US, as some bid rigging practices concerned agreements to provide security services to the US Department of Defense and NATO. This prompted the DOJ to investigate and led to the indictment of Seris and three individuals. G4S concluded a plea agreement - the settlement with the BCA is therefore not surprising. 💡This case also had important ramifications in another sector in Belgium. Former CEO of G4S, Jean-Paul Van Avermaet, later became CEO of bpost in 2019. However, he had not sufficiently informed bpost of this competition case (and its ramifications in the US, where he is facing charges). This led bpost to let him go in March 2021. 💡While 11 individuals obtained immunity from prosecution in Belgium, a person is still under investigation. To be followed. 🔍

NIS2 will affect us all, including MSPs and SMBs. I recently got to chat to Deirdre Kilroy from leading international law firm Bird & Bird about NIS2 and what it means for MSPs and SMBs in the EU. This certainly worth a watch. https://lnkd.in/eikDDgQ3

GOOD NEWS! The Philippines continued to keep out of the United States Trade Representative's (USTR) Special 301 Watchlist for 11 consecutive years, with several IP protection and enforcement initiatives of #IPOPHL and the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights, cited as "best practices", which other trading partners can replicate. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gS2wcdgy #USTR #Watchlist #IPEnforcement #NCIPR #IntellectualProperty #IPProtection #NIPM2024 #IPMonthPHL2024

Afridi & Angell's inBrief - "The new DIFC prescribed company regulations” by Abdus Samad and vaishali dhanawat on the new regulations implemented by the DIFC, expanding eligibility for incorporating "prescribed companies" and replacing the previous 2019 regulations. Read the full inBrief here: https://lnkd.in/dBzpWV6x #afridiangell #DIFC

BNSS - When FIR registered on the basis of fake allegations and same is perceivable, prima facie, from the available materials and attendant circumstances, power under S.528 should be invoked 2024 KHC OnLine 7091

On 8 August 2024, during the reconvened concluding session of the United Nations Ad Hoc Committee (#AHC), meeting in New York, agreement was reached on the “𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 #𝐜𝐲𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞; 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬”.   The draft text of the treaty will soon be submitted to the UN General Assembly for formal adoption.   Reaching agreement on this complex matter is an important achievement.   Through our #CPROC office, the Council of Europe supported this treaty process from 2022 in order to ensure consistency with the 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐲𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞 (𝐁𝐮𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧) and the inclusion of a minimum of necessary #humanrights and #ruleoflaw safeguards. Key provisions of the #BudapestConvention have been reproduced in the draft treaty but concerns remain regarding safeguards given positions expressed by some States.   During the AHC process, numerous countries became Parties or sought accession to the Budapest Convention. This is an indication of good prospects for 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 and benefits that States may draw from both treaties. Newsroom: https://lnkd.in/dGbFM5Zt Read more about the Reconvened concluding session of the UN AHC: https://lnkd.in/dVjmQ4a2 Read more about the Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention): https://lnkd.in/g_bnYjY

FATF has updated its risk-based guidance for Recommendation 25. The guidance complements the existing guidance on Recommendation 24 on legal persons and aims to help stakeholders from the public and private sectors to implement the new requirements more effectivel

📝 Get ready to #CDRC2024 with our FAQ series! In this FAQ series, we collected and answered some of the most popular questions about CDRC Mediation in a short and precise manner. Our next question is: 📌 How are the roles of the Requesting and Responding parties allocated between the teams? See the response below! Vienna International Arbitral Centre of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (VIAC), International Bar Association, Thomas John, MCIArb #FAQs #CDRCFamily #CDRCSpirit #Moot2024

Independence is one of the greatest values we possess, yet it’s easy to overlook its significance in our daily lives—even though, as a nation, we have experienced the profound cost of its absence. We must never take independence for granted or assume it is guaranteed forever. 🌍 The world has rarely been peaceful, but today, we are witnessing a direct and unsettling attack on sovereignty just beyond our eastern border. If our vigilance has ever waned, the present moment serves as a stark reminder of the need to remain attentive and resilient. ⚠️ As an institution dedicated to safeguarding our nation’s security, we fully understand that the fight for independence is ongoing.🛡️ Hybrid threats, cyberattacks, and externally driven extremism demand constant vigilance, keeping countless professionals on the front lines and developing innovative tools to counter ever-evolving challenges. On this National Independence Day in Poland, let us take a moment to honor those who work tirelessly to ensure that the fight for independence remains a task for experts—not a struggle faced by everyone. On behalf of the entire PPHS, we extend our deepest gratitude to all who dedicate themselves to this vital mission. 🙏 Thank you for your unwavering commitment to protecting our freedom. ✨ More about our activities in this area: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/d2Wfca8f EU-HYBNET CYRUS #EUCIPproject #IN2PREV #PolishIndependenceDay #Poland