Dawn raids, Investigations and Compliance in the Netherlands

Our insightful antitrust seminar titled "Dawn raids, Investigations and Compliance in the Netherlands" took place on 26 September 2024 at Simmons & Simmons in Amsterdam. Dawn raids and investigations carried out by the Dutch Competition Authority (Autoriteit Consument & Markt), on its own initiative or following requests from other competition authorities, targeting companies across the Netherlands, take place regularly. The stakes for businesses are high, with the threat of penalties growing ever more substantial. Even if your company did not violate competition rules, an ACM investigation can significantly affect business operations, making it crucial to be well-prepared and have a solid strategy in place for an investigation. Convincing the ACM that there are no issues can require considerable effort, as will be demonstrated this afternoon.

Our seminar aimed to delve deep into the nuances of dawn raids, subsequent investigations, their consequences, extraction of data, and the critical importance of compliance, covering both legal and practical aspects. We are honoured to have Jan Hommes and Inez van Wijngaarden, who joined us as external speakers, offering their invaluable perspectives and experiences from the front lines. Tom Quinn, head of Simmons' eDiscovery team, explored our options for data review, whether it pertains to an investigation or compliance.

This seminar also presented an excellent opportunity for networking with peers and industry leaders, facilitating valuable discussions and connections.

Agenda
13.30-14.00 – Registration

14.00-14.45 – Opening & Update dawn raids
Ekram Belhadj, Simmons & Simmons

14.45-15.15 – Dawn raid and investigation from a company’s perspective
Jan Hommes, Director BMWT

15.15-15.30 – Break

15.30-16.00 – Essence of compliance
Inez van Wijngaarden, General Counsel & Business Ethics Securitas Nederland

16.00-16.30 – Retention of data and data review
Tom Quinn, eDiscovery, Simmons & Simmons,

16.30-16.45 – Wrap-up
Ekram Belhadj / Cees Dekker, Simmons & Simmons

16.45 – Drinks and canapes