Author: Mattijs Baneke
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The revised FDI Screening Regulation 2026 and its implications for national FDI regimes
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24–36 minutes—
Daniel Baker, Sam Wolters, Saimi Merenlahti, Mattijs Baneke, Ghazale Mandegarian-Fricke, Marie-Laure Combet, Lasse Nordström, Annagreta SirénOn 8 June 2026, the Council of the European Union adopted a revised Regulation on the screening of foreign direct investments in the EU (revised FDI Regulation or Regulation).[1] The new rules replace the current FDI screening framework that has been in force since October 2020 (current FDI Regulation).[2] The revised FDI Regulation will shortly be published in the EU’s…
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Investment screening in the Netherlands: Where do we stand? Key takeaways from the BTI annual report 2025
The Dutch Investment Screening Bureau (BTI) published its third annual report in April 2026, covering the year 2025. The report reflects a screening regime that is growing in both caseload and enforcement activity. In this blog, we highlight the key takeaways: the 2025 statistics, the first prohibition decision under the Vifo Act that became a conditional approval on appeal, the first gun-jumping fine, and the expanding scope…
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A recap of the Geradin Partners webinar on Dutch Competition Law: a year in review and what’s ahead
Traditional competition law enforcement is dead (but not yet buried). Long live the new enforcement of competition law. On 31 March 2026 Geradin Partners’ Amsterdam office hosted their annual webinar on key developments in Dutch competition law. During the session, @Ruben Elkerbout, @Mattijs Baneke and @Philine Wassenaar reflected on trends in public enforcement, merger control and private enforcement in 2025, and shared their expectations for the years ahead (rewatch our webinar). This…
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Merger Control and media plurality: fitting a Square peg into a round hole?
On 14 May 2025, the Financieel Dagblad (FD) reported that the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) plans to conditionally approve the acquisition of RTL Media by DPG. Earlier reporting had suggested that the ACM planned to prohibit the transaction, so this apparent change of direction came as a surprise to many. Even more noteworthy…
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A recap of the Geradin Partners webinar on Dutch Competition Law: a year in review and what’s ahead
On 27 March 2025, the Amsterdam Office of Geradin Partners hosted a webinar on the developments within competition law in the Netherlands. During the webinar, Ruben Elkerbout, Mattijs Baneke and Philine Wassenaar discussed developments in public enforcement, merger control and private enforcement in the Netherlands in 2024, as well as the outlook and fresh predictions…
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The EP’s proposed amendments to the FDI Regulation: towards more centralised FDI screening?
Amid rising geopolitical tensions, the International Trade Committee of European Parliament adopted a proposal to amend the EU FDI Regulation (the EP Proposal) on 8 April, aiming to bolster Europe’s economic security. If eventually adopted, this proposal would result in far-reaching changes to the EU FDI Regulation and to FDI screening regimes throughout Europe. The…
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The ACM’s mission to plug the “small acquisitions gap”
In line with recent developments in other countries, the ACM’s chairman Martijn Snoep has expressed a desire for new competences to review relatively small mergers (in size) that fall below the notification thresholds of the Dutch Competition Act (DCA).[1] In the ACM’s view, mergers that fall below these thresholds can nonetheless cause competition problems. In…