Merger Control

On 2 July 2026, the BCA published a statement on the European Commission’s draft EU merger guidelines as part of a group of competition authorities that represent seven mid-sized EU economies (Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Portugal) (the Statement – see, attachment). The Statement offers support for the European Commission’s focus on effective competition as a key driver of competitiveness, innovation, increasing productivity, and long-term welfare. At the same time, it cautions against relaxing merger control for purely scale-related considerations.

Like the BCA’s contribution in response to the European Commission’s public consultation on the EU merger guidelines, the Statement thus echoes an idea which the same competition authorities (minus Greece) have already expressed last year when challenging what they consider to be the false tension between the role of competition and the realisation of economies of scale. This apparent contradiction was highlighted by the Draghi report on European competitiveness which favours cross-border mergers and the creation of EU-wide players in the telecommunications sector and other industries (see, VBB Belgian Antitrust Watch of 23 April 2025). Against this backdrop, the Statement is expressly intended to protect small and medium-sized enterprises which depend on competitive and open markets with several suppliers and customers.

Annual Competition Report for 2025

In its annual competition report for 2025, the BCA not only describes its operations and governance but also discusses the cases which it handled and its current enforcement priorities (see also, VBB Belgian Antitrust Watch of 2 March 2026).

Operations

In 2025, the BCA opened 10 new formal investigations (compared to just 3 in 2024), adopted 3 decisions imposing interim measures, and also took 3 decisions carrying fines worth approximately EUR 62.3 million. Merger notifications fell considerably to 27 (from 42 in 2024).

Staff grew significantly, from 47 in 2021 to 86 by the end of 2025, while the budget remained stable at approximately EUR 11.4 million.

Cases

The cases which the BCA concluded in 2025 were diverse in both procedural outcome and industry. Procedurally, the BCA took full-fledged infringement decisions but was also active on the interim measures front. In 4 cases, the BCA accepted binding commitments. The economic sectors covered ranged from energy and telecommunications over life sciences and food to financial technology and sports. On several occasions the BCA also offered guidance in both individual cases and at sectoral level. For example, it published guidance regarding the exchange of information by pharmaceutical firms that seek the reimbursement of two medicines which together form a combination therapy (see, VBB Belgian Antitrust Watch of 12 September 2025).

Economic Impact

The BCA makes the case that direct consumer savings from its formal enforcement activities in 2025 fall in a range between approximately EUR 395.9 million (according to OECD methodology) and EUR 630.6 million (in accordance with the upper limits of the EU methodology). It points out that these figures are far in excess of its annual budget.