EU and Belgian competition law
Valérie regularly advises clients on all aspects of competition law, including anti-competitive agreements and concerted practices, abuse of dominance and public procurement matters. She has significant experience in distribution networks and vertical restraints. She represents clients both before the competition authorities and before the courts. She has particular expertise in life sciences, telecommunications, energy and fast-moving consumer goods.
Commercial law and litigation
Valérie regularly advises clients on commercial matters. She also has extensive litigation experience, representing clients in a vast array of cases ranging from commercial disputes to regulatory and competition law ligation. Valérie represents clients before the Belgian judicial courts, the Belgian Council of State and the EU courts.
Regulatory matters
Valérie has particular experience with the life sciences, energy and telecommunications industries and handles both pure regulatory matters and the challenges that may arise from the interplay between competition law and regulation.
Before joining VBB, Valérie worked for three years in the competition law department of a magic circle firm. She was also an assistant at the University of Namur in the fields of European law, competition law and electronic communications law.
Additionally, Valérie did a traineeship in the Directorate-General for Competition of the European Commission (Unit E2 – antitrust – consumer goods, basic industries, agriculture and manufacturing sectors).
Representative matters
- Acting for three professional football clubs on a high-profile challenge under competition law and sport regulations of new rules adopted by the Belgian Football Federation.
- Representing Cisco in legal challenge of first application of new Belgian law enabling IP rights holders to seek the imposition of measures on neutral third parties to bolster the protection of their rights.
- Representing Swissgrid in legal challenges of Swissgrid’s exclusion from electricity balancing platforms before the General Court and the Court of Justice of the EU.
- Advising Coca-Cola Europacific Partners on a wide range of competition law issues.
- Representing Haleon plc before the Belgian Competition Authority in unprecedented proceedings regarding a novel application of the competition rules to a category management agreement.
- Acting for pharmaceutical wholesaler CERP in antitrust proceedings before the Belgian Competition Authority (first hybrid settlement case in Belgium).
Pro bono
Valérie plays an active role in the firm’s D&I initiatives. She participates in the mentorship programme BeFace, aiming at mentoring and supporting law students in the first steps of their career paths.
Professional
- Admitted to the Brussels Bar, 2012
Academic
- King’s College, London, LL.M. in European Law, 2008, merit
- University of Brussels (ULB), Postgraduate Master of Economic Law, 2007, cum laude
- University of Louvain, Master of Laws, 2006, magna cum laude
- University of Namur, Bachelor of Law, 2003, cum laude
- Belgium merger control, LexisNexis, regularly updated (author).
- Concentratietoezicht in België: nieuwe middelen en ambities van de BMA, Mededingingsrecht in de Praktijk, 2024, issue 5, 7-15 (co-author).
- L’application du règlement européen sur le contrôle des concentrations, Journal de Droit Européen, from 2016 to 2023 (co-author).
- Van Bael & Bellis: Competition Law of the European Community, Kluwer 6th edition (2021) (contributing author).
- Frequent contributor to Van Bael & Bellis’ news alerts and newsletters in the field of EU and Belgian competition law.
News & insights
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