Laurent De Muyter is an EU regulatory lawyer with more than 20 years of experience. His practice focuses on electronic communications, digital, data protection, foreign direct investment (FDI), and antitrust regulations. Laurent ensures clients' regulatory compliance and represents clients in investigations launched by the EU Commission or national regulators, as well as in appeals before courts.
In electronic communications, Laurent advised T-Mobile in the EU Commission investigation on its network sharing agreements in Czechia, which was launched in 2016 and successfully closed in 2022 with commitments. He also advised operators, equipment manufacturers, and regulators on liberalization, 5G security, spectrum, network roll-out, interconnection, access, roaming, net neutrality, universal services, numbering, and legal tapping.
Laurent's digital and data protection experience includes advising companies on new digital regulations, like the Data Act, AI Act, Digital Markets Act (DMA), and Digital Services Act (DSA), as well as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) issues such as privacy policies and notices, legal basis, breaches, international transfers, portability, retention, and cybersecurity.
Laurent's FDI and antitrust experience covers anticompetitive practices and multijurisdictional FDI and merger filings at the EU and national levels across various industries, including automotive, chemicals, consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, oil, telecoms, tobacco, and waste management. He also regularly advises clients on compliance relating to cooperation agreements, distribution, and technology licensing.
Laurent has been a member (assessor) of the decisional body of the Belgian Competition Authority since 2013 and a lecturer at the University of Liège where teaches courses on AI and GDPR. He is currently co-chair of the IBA Communications Law Committee and a member of IAPP and Amcham EU. Laurent was seconded in-house at the GSM Association in London in 2008.
Esperienze
Altre Pubblicazioni
- April 7, 2023
Les fusions et acquisitions face à un parcours du combattant réglementaire - December 25, 2022
Data protection in the banking sector, Répertoire pratique du droit belge,- Droit bancaire et financier, Larcier, 2022, p. 1173-1208 - December 2020
Competition law in times of crisis: quo vadis?, TBH/RDC, 2020/10, p. 1346-1360 - October 30, 2020
IBA - The EU Court of Justice rules on zero-rating practices under the Net Neutrality Regulation - August 6, 2020
Telecom & concerted practices: an overview of EU and national case law, Concurrences - August 6, 2020
Telecom & concerted practices: an overview of EU and national case law, Concurrences, 6 August 2020, e-Competitions Telecom & Concerted practices, Art. N° 95135 - September 2018
Belgium finalizes GDPR implementation: A practitioner’s view, iapp - 2018
Chapter XVI on Telecommunications in the Bloomberg BNA Portfolio n°7451 - Business Operations in the European Union – Regulatory (new edition) - November 2017
Section on Belgium in "Annual Review Data protection & Privacy Laws 2017", financierworkdwide.com. - June 2016
Roaming Regulation IV: Implementation Challenges Ahead, IBA communications newsletter - June 2016
EU Roaming Regulation IV: implementation challenges ahead - 2016
From Safe Harbor to Pearl Harbor: The European Court of Justice decision in Maxilian Schrems, ABA/Section of International Law, The Year in Review 2016, vol. 50, p. 595 - August 2015
Antitrust Law Answer Book, PLI - January 2015
A New EU Commission for the Digital Single Market: Time for a Legislative Rethink? Who's Who Legal - 2013
"Net neutrality: from a catch-all to a catch 22?” in Strowel (éd), Net Neutrality in Europe, Collection de l’IEJE de l’université Saint Louis, Bruylant - May 2013
La protection des nouveaux entrants en droit de l’Union Européenne, Concurrences, art. n° 51598 - April 2013
The Belgian Parliament enacts a new competition law,e-Competitions, n°51813 - 2013
New Fining Guidelines in Belgium: if not a spotlight, then a glimmer?, European Competition Law Review, Issue 3 - 12 octobre 2012
Le blocage des prix, une tempête dans un verre d'eau? L'Echo - August 2012
Regulatory Asymmetry? The Competition Between Telecommunication Operators and Other ICT Players, JECLAP - 2012
Vers une révision de la loi sur la protection de la concurrence économique?, Revue de la Concurrence Belge, TBM-RCB, Vol.1, p. 35-46 - 2012
Une transaction en droit belge de la concurrence? Revue de la Concurrence Belge, TBM-RCB, Vol. 2-3 - February 2011
L'application du droit belge de la concurrence aux secteurs libéralisés, in. N. Petit (éd), Le nouveau droit belge de la concurrence, Commission Université Palais, Anthémis - October 2010
Interplay of Ex post and Ex ante regulations: converging on substance but diverging on institutional processes?, Intermedia, Vol. 38, Iss. 4, p.30. - April 2009
Price Squeeze Abuse in the EU Telecommunications Sector: A Reasonably or Equally Efficient Test?, GCP Magazine - December 2008
Does Europe Need a Single European telecom Regulator?, European Competition Journal, Vol. 4, p.561. - October 2004
Le nouveau règlement d'exemption par catégorie pour les accords de transfert de technologie, Cahier du Juriste - van de jurist, n°2/2004, p. 124 - June 2003
Flawed Reform of the Competition Rules for the European Motor Vehicle Distribution Sector, European Competition Law Review, Vol. 24, p. 254.
- January 26, 2024
Brussels School of AI, GDPR and AI - October 31, 2023
IBA Annual Conference, "Digital market act and digital service act: a blueprint for global digital regulation?". - April 27, 2023
Conference Larcier/VBO/FEB Le droit bancaire et financier sous les feux de l'actualité, "La protection des données dans le secteur financier". - April 17, 2023
32nd Annual IBA Communications and Competition Law Conference, "Merger trends in the technology, media and telecommunications sectors: what are the latest developments? - January 26, 2023
Brussels School of AI, GDPR and AI - November 30, 2022
Dujat - Opportunities and Risks of AI in Europe - October 3, 2022
GCLC, Horizontal cooperation in network industries in light of the recent Czech case and the revision of the EC guidelines - April 10, 2022
Infrastructure sharing, wholesale-only and TowerCos: new models for accelerating 5G and FTTH deployments, 31st Annual IBACommunications and Competition Law - July 6, 2021
Trust in digital life / CyberSec4Europe webinar, "Cross Border Data Flows: An Online Panel Discussion" - January 2021
Law, Cognitive Technologies & Artificial Intelligence Program, "Artificial intelligence and GDPR", Federation of Enterprises in Belgium - November 25, 2020
IBA Annual virtual conference "5G: the need for spectrum refarming and network sharing" - January 10, 2020
Law, Cognitive Technologies & Artificial Intelligence Program, “Artificial intelligence and GDPR”, Federation of enterprises in Belgium - December 11, 2019
ECTA Regulatory Conference 2019, Panel Chair on “5G Without All Vendors! What Are the Consequences for Operators, Customers and Society?” - June 6, 2019
ERA Annual Conference on European Media Law 2019 - Licensing practices for audiovisual media services in the EU - recent developments in competition law. - April 29-30, 2019
Mergers – content, data and digitalisation as drivers for M&A (moderator), 30th Annual IBA Communications and Competition Conference - March 15, 2019
Big data: legal framework and practice, Law, Cognitive Technologies & Artificial Intelligence Study Programme, Federation of Enterprises in Belgium. - February 8, 2019
Sport et droit de la concurrence, Délégation des Barreaux de France - November 2018
New Enforcement Powers: What DPAs Can Learn from Competition Law Practice, IAPP Europe Data Protection Congress 2018 - June 11 & 12, 2018
Infrastructure sharing panel, moderator, IBA Conference - January 26, 2018
Brussels School of Competition’s New Study Programme on Cognitive Technologies & Artificial Intelligence - November 23, 2017
Competition law and data protection, AEDC/VSMR half-day study event, ING Auditorium - June 30, 2017
Cognitive Technology and AI: Legislation and Regulation, Brussels School of Competition - April 5, 2017
Le RGPD en détail – Analyse des directives des autorités de protection des données et des efforts de mise en œuvre au niveau national - March 29, 2017
Règlement Général sur la Protection des Données : les nouveaux outils de la de la CNPD, Conférence des Directeurs Juridiques Luxembourgeois, Banque & Caisse d’Epargne de l’Etat - March 15, 2017
Webinar Series: EU General Data Protection Regulation (three-part series) - October 17, 2016
Big Data: At the Intersection of Competition and Privacy Laws, Brussels School of Competition, Federation of Enterprises in Belgium - June 21, 2016
Review of the E-Privacy Directive, ARMA EU Conference - April 20, 2016
What future for the E-Privacy Directive? IAPP Conference - October 28, 2014
Presentation to the members of the Belgian Competition Authority on "net neutrality", Belgian Competition Authority Office - November 28, 2013
Mergers and Market Consolidation in the Telecom Sector, Cullen Law Seminar - September 24, 2013
A New Belgian Competition Authority: What Impact for my Company? - March 25-27, 2012
Policies For The Future Internet, EuroCPR 2012 Conference - December 12, 2011
Settlement Procedure in Competition Law, Federation of Enterprises in Belgium - February 11, 18 & 25, 2011
The new Belgian competition law, CUP Conference - April 30, 2010
What comes next in electronic communications?A review of the new EU framework, IEJE Conference - April 28 & 29, 2010
International Institute for telecommunications' Telecommunications and Media Forum - May 11, 2009
Is the Guidance Notice on Article 82 EC a Suitable Instrument for Liberalized Markets?, Half Day Conference on the Commission’s Guidance Notice on Article 82 EC - May 2008
Does Europe Need a Single European Telecom Regulator?
"Has fantastic analytical skills, is very collaborative and great to work with."Legal 500
- College of Europe, Belgium (Master's in European Legal Studies magna cum laude 2002; European Law Moot Court Competition laureate, 2002); University of Durham, United Kingdom (LL.M. cum laude 2001); Free University of Brussels, Belgium (J.D. cum laude 2000)
- Brussels
Legal 500: Next Generation Partner for IT & Telecom; recommended for data protection, EU, and Belgian competition law; clients comment that Laurent is an "outstanding expert" with "experience and agility" (2024) and that he has "excellent knowledge of the local procedures and a very sharp mind — he sees the wood from the trees (2023)
WWL: Competition Future Leaders (2017-2023)
- Dutch, English, French