Consumer Credit: Explore new credit directive & current legal challenges

Consumer Credit

Brussel 25/06/2024

Last Tuesday, Dominique, Johannes and Prescillia had the privilege of speaking at a conference which explored the intricacies of credit law considering the market transformations towards greater use of digital means & artificial intelligence and the integration of ESG factors in granting loans.

 Dominique and Prescillia looked at the challenges and opportunities in consumer credit, discussing the implementation of the new Consumer Credit Directive, pre-contractual obligations and the latest rules on tying and bundling practices. They also examined the recent case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union in this area.

 Johannes provided insights into the use of AI for credit risk assessment and 'near-instant' decision making, based on a practical example

Abilways Belgium Conference " Prevention Against Money Laundering” Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 May 2024

Join us for an insightful conference with François Koning, a leading lawyer specialising in white-collar crime. 

As co-head of the white-collar crime department and head of money laundering prevention at JANSON, François brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table. His upcoming presentation on Monday 27 May will cover critical aspects of legal protection in financial reporting and compliance.

The main topics will include :

- The scope of legal protection for suspicious transaction reports.

- The reporter's immunity from criminal liability.

- The limits of the duty not to disclose.

- The impact on business relationships following a suspicious transaction report.

This is an opportunity not to be missed for legal, financial and compliance professionals to gain a deeper understanding of these key issues.

Seminar in Private Banking Law : Evolution and Insights

Private banking law is undergoing a number of changes in response to developments in economic activity. These include regulated credit, cases of fraud in the wider context of so-called phishing, the issue of de-risking and the banking oath.

Recent trends will be discussed at the seminar on 19 March 2024 with Mr Dominique  Blommaert, who will explain the capita selecta mentioned above at the next continuing education seminar.

This webinar is aimed at all lawyers interested in banking law, regardless of their specialisation or (prior) knowledge of the subject.

We look forward to your participation.

Please follow the link to subscribe : Permanent vorming bankrecht

Janson will be present at the MIPIM annual meeting

DIGI secures remedies in the EU Orange/MásMóvil/ merger control

Our Competition & EU Department accompanied DIGI Communication to secure the remedy offered to the EU Commission in the clearance of the joint venture between Orange and MásMóvil in Spain delivered on 20 February 2024 (Case M.10896).

The remedy consists of spectrum divestment and an optional National Roaming Agreement that will enable DIGI Communications to pursue its development in Spain.

 See Commissioner Vestager’s statement on the clearance and remedy: “Orange and MásMóvil’s joint venture threatened competition in the retail supply of mobile and fixed internet services in Spain. But the commitments offered by the parties will enable Digi, the largest and fastest-growing mobile virtual network operator in Spain, to replicate the strong competitive pressure exerted by MásMóvil. They will ensure that consumers in Spain continue to benefit from a competitive telecom market, in terms of prices, quality and 5G connectivity.

Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President in charge of competition policy” (DG COMP’s press release: Joint venture between Orange and MásMóvil (europa.eu)) .

 For more inquiries, please contact Bruno Lebrun (b.lebrun@janson.be) and Wafa Lachguer (w.lachguer@janson.be).

City of Ghent and neighbourhood committee reach agreement on neighbourhood mobility plan Zwijnaarde

Janson is pleased to announce the successful outcome in the case of the Mobility plan of Zwijnaarde (Ghent) thanks to the collaborative efforts of the Civil Litigation Department (Dominique Blommaert and Nikita Colpaert) and the Administrative Law Department (Günther L’Heureux, Kris Wauters and Margot Luyckx). This achievement is a testament to one of the core values of Janson: the multidisciplinary teamwork.

You can find the article here.

Together, let's make "Miles for Smiles" a success!

We are proud to announce that this year Janson is sponsoring "Miles for Smiles", a charity run which will take place in Bruges on 9 March 2024. A number of our team members will be taking up the cause and running to support one of the 5 participating charities.

We invite you to encourage them or to register on the official website: Star Tracking (star-tracking.be)

Together, let's make "Miles for Smiles" a success!

Colloque – La fraude et le droit des assurances | Tuesday 19 march 2024 | Belgium |

We are pleased to announce that on 19 March 2024 our associate Denis Rosier will be taking part in a conference on insurance fraud organised by the "Revue Générale des assurances et des responsabilités".

 He will be presenting a paper on the policyholder's obligation to declare the risk, specifically from the point of view of fraud. He will be accompanying a number of top-quality speakers.

 His presentation will be the subject of a forthcoming publication.

Please follow the link to subscribe : Colloque – La fraude et le droit des assurances ~ Opleiding ~ Larcier-Intersentia

APRIL International strengthens its presence in Europe with the acquisition of Expat & Co in Belgium

 Janson is delighted to announce it has advised the group APRIL on the acquisition of the Belgian company Expat & Co. The Janson team was led by France Wilmet and Muriel Baudoncq.

 Expat & Co is an insurance intermediary, specialist in international health insurance in Belgium. APRIL International is a French leading wholesale insurance broker in Europe. This acquisition strengthens its position in the Benelux region.

You can find more information on their website : APRIL International strengthens its presence in Europe with the acquisition of Expat & Co in Belgium - APRIL Group

Bilal Carbon acquires Nanocyl, a Belgian manufacturer of carbon nanotubes

Janson is delighted to announce it has advised Birla Carbon USA Inc. on the acquisition of the Belgian company Nanocyl.

The acquisition was subject to the first notification to the screening committee for non-EU investments since the Belgian regulation on foreign investments entered into force on the 1st of July 2023. The Janson team was led by France Wilmet.

Nanocyl is a worldwide leader in multiwall carbon nanotubes based in Sambreville. Birla Carbon is a leading manufacturer and supplier of high quality carbon solutions.

The International Comparative Legal Guide - Sanctions 2024 - Belgium Chapter

The International Comparative Legal Guide - Sanctions 2024 has been released. This publication provides a comprehensive overview of the sanctions regimes, including sanctions adopted by the United Nations Security Council (“UNSC”) and the European Union (“EU”) transposed in Belgium. Our experts Bruno Lebrun, Candice Lecharlier and Wafa Lachguer contributed to the Belgium chapter, where they discussed about the significant changes or developments impacting our jurisdiction’s sanctions regime.

You can access the full article here :

https://iclg.com/practice-areas/sanctions/belgium

You can also visit our profile on ICLG.com, where you can find more information about our firm and our services.

Our partner Didier Bracke and counsel Jacqueline Wibabara represented Janson at the Biennial IBA African Regional Forum Young Lawyers Symposium in Kigali

We are proud to announce that our partner Didier Bracke and counsel Jacqueline Wibabara represented our firm at the Biennial IBA African Regional Forum Young Lawyers Symposium in Kigali. They shared their insights and expertise on various topics related to the legal profession in Africa and beyond which as the new careers in the law, building a profile in new sectors and finally developing client recruitment, onboarding and retention. We congratulate them on their successful participation and contribution to this important event.

You can find more information about the conference on their website : Conference Details | International Bar Association (ibanet.org)

Vertical Agreements and Dominant Firms Laws and Regulations - Belgium Chapter covers common issues in vertical agreements and dominant firms laws and regulations.

The International Comparative Legal Guide 2023 is finally published. The entire publication is now live on ICLG.com. Bruno Lebrun, Candice Lecharlier and Wafa Lachguer wrote an article concerning the Vertical Agreements and Dominant Firms. You can read read the entire article by following this link:

https://iclg.com/practice-areas/vertical-agreements-and-dominant-firms-laws-and-regulations/belgium

Janson is also on ICLG.com, you can find our extended profile here.

Bruno Lebrun was invited to speak at the European Forum on Foreign direct investment Reviews and CFIUS in London

Our partner Bruno Lebrun was invited to speak about the future EU control on outbound Investments at the C5’s 4th Forum on Foreign Direct Investments Reviews and CFIUS who took place in London the 7th-8th of June 2023.

Visit the website of C5 for more information about this event:

https://www.c5-online.com/national-security-reviews-cfius/

Law firms join forces under the legal run banner to support Oxybulle at the Brussels 20km run

Brussels, 28 May 2023 - For the 19th year in a row, 58 international and national law firms based in Brussels will join forces as one team to participate in the annual 20km run through Brussels (20km door Brussel-20km de Bruxelles). Nearly 500 lawyers and law firm staff will run under the Legal Run banner to collect money to support Oxybulle, the selected charity of the year.

Oxybulle is an association of volunteers supporting some 190 children and teenagers from 3 to 18 years of age housed in 12 residential homes in the province of Namur. For a variety of reasons, including difficult family situations where parents are unable to offer safe and secure environments or struggling with financial difficulties, many youngsters are growing up in residential homes. They are surrounded by professional educators, speech therapists and, psychologists and while some stay for a few days or months, others stay until they reach the age of 18. Although some youngsters go home to their families on the weekends, others have little or no family contact at all. Oxybulle exists for them, to offer outings, leisure activities and opportunities for learning, discovery and connection.

The Legal Run has become a tradition within the Brussels legal community. Each participating firm sponsors its runners who collectively run for the same charity. The Legal Run is not only a fun sporting event for lawyers and legal staff alike, it also provides great exposure and financial support for the selected charity. For the previously selected charity, Kick Cancer, the Legal Run was able to raise almost €50,000.

More information:

Donations to Oxybulle: IBAN: BE47 0689 3772 3780; BIC: GKCCBEBB; Communication “Legal Run Donation”

For further information on the Legal Run initiative including the participating firms, please visit the Legal Run website: www.legalrunbrussels.be

For further information about Oxybulle, visit their website : Oxybulle Asbl | Offrir une bulle d'air à des enfants et ados

Mireille Buydens at the international IP Conference in Guangdong (China)

Mireille Buydens has been invited to speak at the international IP conference organized by the Jinan University in Guangdong (China) this 26 April. The conference was chaired a.o. by Lawrence Lessing, Professor at Harvard Law School and Honorary Dean of the Intellectual Property Institute at Jinan University, Xu Xua, Dean of Intellectual Property Research Institute of Jinan University, and Sun Yuanzha, Executive Director of the Asia Pacific Law Institute in the United States The conference was devoted to Frontier Issues about New Balance in Intellectual Property.  on Frontier Issues about New Balance in Intellectual Property  .

Janson helped the bakery chain "Le pain Quotiden" in the market launch of their brand new product: “The cannabis bread”.

Judge forbids City of Ghent to introduce circulation plan around busy bridge

 Judge forbids City of Ghent to implement circulation plan around busy bridge: the deliberation was not conducted legally.

Guy Block took part at the event "The CHINALUX Future of Energy" at Bilia-Emond Luxembourg

This CHINALUX “Future of Energy” event took place at Bilia-Emond Luxembourg on 8 March 2023. The event presented an excellent opportunity for the CHINALUX members and friends to learn more about Electric Vehicles and the future of energy. The event was sponsored by CHINALUX corporate members: Bilia-Emond Luxembourg & China Southern Power Grid.

The panel discussion was moderated by Guy Block, Partner and Head of Energy, Climate Change and Mobility. The energy crisis, the financing of the renewable energy sector, the charging stations and the road infrastructures were some of the topics discussed and debated during the panel discussion.

the 15th edition of the National Tender Day

On 27 October 2022, Jorien Van Belle and Michiel Van Lerbeirghe gave a lecture on how the GDPR leaves its mark on public procurement, during the 15th edition of the National Tender Day at the Sheraton hotel in Brussels. They discussed the most recent case-law of the Council of State, from which they drew the lessons that tenderers and contracting authorities should keep in mind when faced with a public contract involving the processing of personal data. 

A contribution by Jorien and Michiel on this topic will also be published in the Public Procurement Yearbook (ed. 2022-23).