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Vincent Mussche
Partner
Vincent's practice focuses on EU/Belgian competition law and foreign investment screening. He is a seasoned, multifaceted antitrust lawyer with significant expertise in successfully managing local and global complex multijurisdictional merger filings, cartel investigations and State aid cases, and in developing and implementing tailored competition compliance programmes.
Vincent has been practising competition law in Brussels for more than 15 years. He started his career in 2004 as a trainee at the European Commission and the Belgian Competition Authority. He subsequently worked at two international law firms and also acquired significant in-house experience as antitrust counsel at two major multinationals.
From 2019 onwards, Vincent has been selected each year as a future leader in international competition practice by the Who’s Who Legal Competition Law Survey, conducted in conjunction with Global Competition Review, which lists the foremost practitioners in the competition community worldwide aged under 45. In 2022, The Legal 500 rankings for Competition Law stated that ‘Vincent Mussche is a true star of competition law, he is always available and ready to react quickly by advising the best strategy to follow’.
Vincent heads the firm’s commercial law practice encompassing the departments Competition and EU Law, Commercial Contracts & Litigation, Trade Practices, Consumer Law, International Arbitration and Dispute Resolution, IP/IT/Data Protection and Insolvency & Restructuring.
Vincent is a member of the editorial committee of Competitio, the leading Belgian competition law journal.
Vincent joined Liedekerke as a Partner in August 2019.
Contact
Studies
College of Europe Bruges (Master Degree in European Law) 2004
Université Robert Schuman, Strasbourg (Interdisciplinary Diploma of European Studies) 2003
Catholic University of Leuven (Law degree) 2002
Facultés Universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix de Namur (law degree) 1999
Relevant expertise
Assisting Sligro before the Belgian Competition Authority on its acquisition of Metro.
Assisting Visser & Smit Hanab on its sale to Verbraeken Drilling Infra.
Representing manufacturers of pigeon clocking systems in a successful interim measures procedure before the Belgian Competition Authority against the Belgian Colombophile Federation KBDB/RFCB.
Represented Kiwa before the Belgian Competition Authority in the context of its acquisition of Vinçotte.
Represented Axepta BNP Paribas before the European Commission on its acquisition of the divestment imposed by the European Commission in Worldline/Ingenico (purchaser approval).
Assisted Brussels Airlines in the context of its EUR 290 million State aid application to address the COVID19 pandemic.
Avoided a fine for Brussels Airlines despite the fact that the Belgian Competition Authority ruled that a Commercial Service Agreement with Thomas Cook Belgium had infringed Article 101 TFEU.
Represented DOMO before the European Commission on its acquisition of Solvay’s EU polyamide business (purchaser approval and merger clearance).
Represented AG Insurance and BNP Paribas Fortis before the European Commission on their acquisition of joint control over Optimile.
Publications
Vincent Mussche & Nina Carlier, « Belgium: Foreign Direct Investment Regimes 2022 », ICLG, 2022, pp. 46-52
Stefaan Raes & Vincent Mussche, Chapter on Belgium in The Cartels and Leniency Review, Eight (2022) Edition, Law Business Research.
Vincent Mussche, «How to successfully navigate the EC purchaser approval process », 2019.
Vincent Mussche & Fientje Moerman, “De nieuwe clementierichtsnoeren van de Belgische mededingingsautoriteit”, Lunchforum mededinging, TBM/RCB, 2016 pp. 334-338.
Vincent Mussche, Editorial, TBM/RCB, 2015, pp. 139-140.
Damien Gerard, Vincent Mussche & Peter Wytinck, « Renforcer la crédibilité de l’autorité belge de la concurrence », TBM/RCB, 2014, pp. 90-96.
Vincent Mussche & H.C.L Hobbelen, “Kartelhandhaving door de Europese Commissie in crisistijd : business as usual?”, 2009, Markt & Mededinging, pp. 185-192.
Jan Blockx & Vincent Mussche, « Divide et Impera, de Bofar beslissing van de Voorzitter van de Raad voor de Mededinging en het recht om de parallelhandel in geneesmiddelen te beperken», TBM/RCB, 2009, pp. 27-35.
Vincent Mussche , Rapport Lunchforum Mededinging "Settlements and alternative techniques" au niveau européen et belge, TBM/RCB, 2008, pp. 32-35.
Recognition
Vincent Mussche is ranked in the "Up and Coming" category, Competition - Domestic table, Chambers Europe, 2023 with clients quoting: "Vincent Mussche is very hands-on and pragmatic, provides clear instructions, and it is nice working with him."; "We highly appreciate the expertise, experience, flexibility and proactive approach of Vincent Mussche."
Vincent Mussche is recommended by the Legal 500.
From 2019 onwards, Vincent has been selected as a future leader of international competition practice in the Who's Who Legal Competition law survey conducted in conjunction with Global Competition Review and which lists the foremost practitioners in the competition community aged under 45.
Languages
- Dutch
- English
- French
