Isabel Rooms’ practice focuses on all aspects of EU and Belgian competition law, including merger control, abuse of dominance, cartel practices, compliance issues and State aid.

Isabel has comprehensive experience in advising clients on multijurisdictional transactions, including on complex remedy structures. She has represented clients with merger control and foreign investment filings across various European and international jurisdictions, with a particular focus on the European Commission and Belgian Competition Authority.

Isabel also regularly represents clients in antitrust investigations, including in case of dawn raids and on leniency/settlement questions.

Isabel advises clients from a wide variety of sectors, including healthcare, FMCG, energy, aviation, and basic industries. She also routinely advises private equity firms.

Isabel joined the firm as a partner in 2022 from a major international law firm.

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Notable Experience

Recent notable experience:

  • Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V. in its accession to Eurelec Trading SC, alongside the French retailer E. Leclerc and the German retailer REWE.

  • Broadcom on the EU,  and U.S. and RoW aspects of its acquisition of VMware.

  • Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) on its global antitrust efforts in connection with Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

  • Advising a global company on a pending Article 101 TFEU investigation by the Belgian Competition Authority concerning possible anticompetitive practices.

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Prior to joining Cleary, Isabel’s notable experience included:

  • RTL Group on the sale of RTL Belgium to Belgian media companies DPG Media and Groupe Rossel.

  • PWC in relation to the sale of its Global Mobility and Immigration Services business to CD&R.

  • Advising on COVID-19 related state aid matters, including representing an EU Member State before the General Court in Luxembourg against a third party appeal.

  • Energizer Inc in connection with its $2 billion acquisition of Spectrum’s global battery and portable lighting business and subsequent divestiture.

  • Scripps Networks Interactive in relation to its $14.6 billion acquisition by Discovery Communications.

  • McKesson/Celesio on a 3-to-2 merger in pharmaceutical wholesaling in Belgium and in relation to the subsequent sale of parts of its European pharmaceutical wholesaling businesses to Phoenix.

  • Delhaize on its €28 billion merger with Ahold, one of the largest cross-border mergers in Europe and the largest Belgian deal completed in years.

  • EQT and Investor in relation to their $4 billion sale to Baxter International of Gambro, a leading global manufacturer of dialysis devices.

  • Johnson & Johnson on various acquisitions and disposals including its acquisition of the medical devices company Synthes.

  • De Beers on its antitrust dispute with former distributor Spira, including extensive litigation before the Belgian competition authority and courts.

  • Various clients in the healthcare, energy, and FMCG sector on competition law investigations and compliance.

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Selected Activities

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Publications

Belgian chapter of European Competition Laws, available on Lexis advance, December 2023

“Concurrences Interview: Damien Gerard (Belgian Competition Authority),” September 2023

“FDI Screening Mechanism Now Active in Belgium,” Cleary Gottlieb Alert Memo, July 13, 2023

“EU Foreign Subsidies: Filing Forms Adopted and Regulation Takes Effect,” Cleary Gottlieb Alert Memo, July 12, 2023

“Commission Revamps its Article 102 Guidance and Will Adopt new Guidelines in 2025,” Cleary Gottlieb Alert Memo, July 4, 2023.

“Commission Consults on Notification Requirements and Process for EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation,” Cleary Gottlieb Alert Memo, February 9, 2023.  

“Main Developments in Competition Law and Policy 2021 – Belgium,” Kluwer Competition Law Blog, March 14, 2022.

Jaarboek Handelspraktijken, case comment “Eén voor allen, allen voor één? De mededingingsrechtelijke impact van een gemeenschappelijk advertentieplatform tussen concurrenten,” 2021.

LIDC (Antitrust, IP) – “Liability for Antitrust Infringements,” 2019.

ABA’s The Threshold, E&Y Gun-Jumping case, 2018.

“Chronique de jurisprudence (2011-2015) – Overzicht van rechtspraak (2011-2015). Les actions civiles pour infraction au droit de la concurrence – Private handhaving van het mededingingsrecht”, Tijdschrift voor Belgisch Handelsrecht / Revue de Droit Commercial Belge, 2017/8.

Events