Competition and EU Law

Companies are required to ensure that all of their business activities comply with antitrust laws. We help our clients to assess impact of antitrust legislation on their businesses.

Antitrust authorities are also increasingly focusing their enforcement activities on vertical agreements between non-competitors, for example distribution and licensing agreements. We have unrivalled expertise when it comes to the antitrust law aspects of vertical agreements, including e-commerce.

We assist companies in a dominant market position and their clients in planning their activities. We represent our clients in all procedures before the competition authorities and the court and we also advise our clients in avoiding cartel risks and in cartel litigations.

Services

• Cartel investigations and leniency applications
• Drafting compliance programs
• Horizontal agreements and other agreements of co-operation between competitors
• Cases involving abuse of a dominant position
• Distribution systems and licensing agreements
• R&D activities and strategic alliances
• Antitrust tort litigation and other antitrust litigation

The successful completion of mergers and acquisitions requires a careful prior assessment of the transaction’s effect on competition as well as precise compliance with merger control procedures. To ensure he smooth completion of business transactions we provide a pragmatic and proactive service to our clients.

Our dedicated team assists both national and international businesses from the earliest stages in all types mergers. We identify and solve possible competition law problems in advance. Our experts regularly secure approvals for mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and other transactions from the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority and the European Commission. We also coordinate parallel merger control proceeding across multiple jurisdictions.

Where necessary, we work in close cooperation with leading experts in economics

Services

• Securing approval of mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and other transactions from the Finnish Competition Authority and the European Commission
• Negotiating conditions with the Finnish Competition Authority
• Coordinating merger control proceedings across multiple jurisdictions
• All court proceedings related to mergers

Public procurement regulations are open to interpretation in certain situations. Closely following the legislation from the very beginning of the procurement phase helps mitigate the risk of legal proceedings and other unwanted consequences.

Our experts have a comprehensive understanding of and extensive experience in public procurement and associated legal proceedings. They were involved in the drafting of the Finnish procurement law and have published articles and books on public procurement. They also regularly provide training on the subject.

Services

• Establishing compliance of all procurement bids with public procurement legislation and drafting procurement documents
• Advising and structuring public procurement bids
• Public procurement litigation before the Market Court and the Supreme Administrative Court
• Claims for correction to procurement units
• Compensation claims for violations of the public procurement regulations

Many EU law rules directly concern companies and private citizens. Our EU law team consists of lawyers with significant international experience who are experts in interpreting and applying EU law. Our experienced team of attorneys provide our customers in-depth advice on EU law. We frequently advise on EU rules concerning state aid and the free movement of goods, as well as EU restrictions on parallel trade.

Services

• State aid proceedings
• Free movement of goods cases
• Anti-dumping matters