BLOMSTEIN wird (noch) internationaler: Zum 1. Oktober 2025 bauen wir unsere europäische Präsenz weiter aus und eröffnen in Brüssel. BLOMSTEIN ist europäisch und global bereits stark vernetzt und geht mit der Eröffnung in Brüssel den natürlichen nächsten Schritt. Mit dieser Standorterweiterung setzen wir unsere Internationalisierungsstrategie konsequent fort und stärken unsere Nähe zu den europäischen Institutionen. 

BLOMSTEIN advised Opta Group LP, a portfolio company of Speyside Equity Advisors (Speyside), and a leading supplier of performance materials and solutions in the molten metal, infrastructure, and specialty chemical industries, on FDI and merger control aspects relating  the acquisition of the assets of the majority of the business operations of m-tec Group, a company previously operating in Wesel, Germany.

Few corporate nightmares begin as subtly as an external investigation — a knock on the door, a ring of the bell — and within seconds, everything changes. Unannounced inspections are aimed at probing legal infringements. They are highly disruptive and expose companies to serious legal and reputational risks. While most companies are aware of the risk of dawn raids by competition authorities such as the European Commission (Commission) or the German Federal Cartel Office (FCO), they should also be prepared for inspections by other agencies, such as tax and customs authorities, OLAF (European Anti-Fraud Office) or public prosecutors. Each authority operates under its own distinct legal framework and pursues a specific enforcement agenda, ranging from antitrust violations and breaches of customs, tax, or export control laws to criminal offences such as fraud or corruption. What all these investigations have in common: They typically come without a warning and demand an immediate, coordinated and legally sound response. This briefing provides a practical overview of what (not) to do during inspections – offering both general best practices and authority-specific guidelines.

This briefing is the third in a series on the EU-Mercosur agreement, where BLOMSTEIN addresses key provisions with respect to Trade in Goods, Trade in Services, Public Procurement, Competition and Sustainability, and outlines implications and opportunities for businesses.

In this release, we focus on the Agreement’s core provisions related to Trade in Services, particularly the commitments framework, national treatment and limitations. In 2023, the EU exported €28.5 billion in services to Mercosur, while Mercosur’s service exports to the EU amounted to €13.1 billion. The Agreement is expected to significantly boost this bilateral exchange. For the EU in particular, the agreement presents expanded opportunities in strategic sectors such as business services, financial services, telecommunications, maritime transport, and postal and courier services.

Wir wachsen weiter und stärken unser Team durch herausragende Talente. Zum 1. Juli 2025 gibt es gleich fünf Beförderungen: Dr. Christopher Wolters und Dr. Leonard Freiherr von Rummel werden Partner; Ramona Ader, Dr. Laura Louca und Philipp Trube steigen in die Counsel-Riege auf. Mit diesen Ernennungen setzen wir auf kontinuierliches, organisches Wachstum und starke individuelle Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten für alle Karrierestufen und in allen Praxisgruppen.

Two months after the European Commission published its Competitiveness Compass, we take a deeper look into its strategic vision to enhance the EU’s economic resilience and global competitiveness (following up on our first overview), namely the competition law aspects. The Commission is rather clear that it seeks to establish Europe’s competitiveness as the new “North Star”. However, what is not so clear: Through which paths will the Commission lead us on our journey to this North Star?

The European defence industry is undergoing profound strategic transformation. Just last week, the Commission has published its White Paper for European Defence Readiness 2030, attesting “changes of a magnitude not seen since 1945” and boldly stating: “History will not forgive us for inaction.” This shift has also been felt in competition law. Recent policy discussions suggest that the traditional approach to competition enforcement — focusing primarily on market dynamics and consumer welfare — may evolve to incorporate additional considerations, in particular defence interests.

After the Oscar-worthy performance in its opening act, the DMA series is back with a brand-new season, packed with twists, turns, and regulatory cliffhangers. On March 19, 2025, the European Commission stepped into the spotlight with two decisive moves: First, it handed Apple a script rewrite, demanding new specified measures to meet interoperability obligations under the DMA. Second, it preliminarily found Alphabet in breach of the DMA by self-preferencing in Google Search and enforcing restrictive steering rules in Google Play.

BLOMSTEIN hat gemeinsam mit lindenpartners den in Europa führenden CLM-Anbieter DiliTrust bei dessen Akquisition des Legal-Tech Start-ups PACTA unterstützt. Das BLOMSTEIN-Team um Roland Stein und Anna Huttenlauch hat bei dieser Transaktion zu investitions- und fusionskontrollrechtlichen Aspekten beraten.

Der sich abzeichnende Handelskrieg zwischen China und den USA wird auch Auswirkungen auf Unternehmen in der EU haben. Eine Folge könnte die Überschwemmung des europäischen Marktes mit stark subventionierten Produkten aus China sein – gerade im Bereich der Medizinprodukte ist dies nicht unwahrscheinlich. Einer solchen Entwicklung sind europäische Unternehmen jedoch nicht schutzlos ausgeliefert.