Prohibition on Abuse of Economic Dependence: First Lessons from the Case Law

Since 22 August 2020, the abuse of economic dependence by an undertaking - without being in a dominant position - is prohibited under Belgian law. These conditions are formulated in broad terms, leaving the Belgian judge a wide margin of appreciation. This case report examines in more detail how this new offence is applied by the Belgian judiciary, and to what extent it may have an impact on commercial relations.