News

Stay tuned met Faros in Q3

• 28/09/2026

What has been happening in the field of data protection over the past quarter? During Stay Tuned, Anouk Focquet, together with Bart van Buitenen, once again brought more than 200 DPOs fully up to date.

With Stay Tuned, the Data Protection Institute organises a full-day event four times a year to bring privacy professionals up to speed on the most important developments of the past quarter.

Faros at the Sales & Business Summit

• 24/09/2026

Karolien Francken and Alexander Vanhove represented Faros at Gondola Academy’s annual Sales & Nego Summit, where professionals from the retail and FMCG sectors come together to discuss sales and negotiations.

During a series of speed-dating sessions, various companies joined them to ask questions about compliance. Short but sweet: a few minutes to get to know one another, put a specific challenge on the table and exchange ideas straight away.

Faros takes part in a discussion on female talent in the legal profession

• 21/09/2026

Emmelie Wijckmans took part in an inspiring evening organised by YouConnect, where female partners from across the Belgian legal sector came together to exchange experiences and views on female talent in the legal profession.

Lisa Ostyn and Anne-Sophie Celli: new lawyers at Faros

• 1/09/2026

We are delighted to welcome Lisa Ostyn and Anne-Sophie Celli to Faros as they begin their legal careers.

Faros Returns to the University of Cambridge

• 4/08/2026

Once again this year, Emmelie Wijckmans and Annemie Van De Vliet returned to the CompLaw Summer School at the University of Cambridge to give a lecture on abuse of a dominance.

What has now become almost an annual tradition remains a special opportunity to share our expertise in competition law with an international group of motivated students. We are proud that Faros was once again able to be part of this inspiring Summer School and thus to share our knowledge and experience beyond Belgium’s borders.

In August, Faros Welcomes New Summer Interns

• 1/08/2026

This summer, we’re welcoming several enthusiastic interns at Faros who will have the opportunity to get an up-close look at our legal practice.

New Glossary Videos Coming Soon

• 7/07/2026

For the fourth time, Faros team members headed to the studio of our video partner, Arendsoog, to produce a new series of Glossary videos. With new characters, new faces, and plenty of enthusiasm on the set, we look back on a very successful shoot.

The result? You will find out this fall.

Our July Interns Are Off to a Good Start

• 1/07/2026

Since early July, we have welcomed two new summer interns at Faros. During their internship, Bintou Hajdara is working with our Data Protection team, while Shaquelle Smith is joining our Competition team. This gives them the opportunity to gain firsthand experience with the day-to-day legal practice and to contribute to a wide range of topics.

Faros at CompLaw: Future Leaders

• 23/06/2026

Emmelie Wijckmans and Annemie Van de Vliet travelled to Amsterdam to attend CompLaw: Future Leaders. This is an event bringing together the next generation of competition law professionals.

As part of the programme, Emmelie participated as a speaker in a panel discussion, representing different perspectives from private practice, the business world and the public sector. The participants shared their experiences and discussed some of the challenges of building a career in competition law.

New Project: Lunch Webinar on Competition Law

• 29/04/2026

Last week, Faros successfully launched a new initiative: a series of free, quarterly lunch webinars on competition law. This first session focused on the topic of personal liability.

The session was led by Emmelie Wijckmans, Karolien Francken and Frank Wijckmans, who explained in a clear and practical manner how Belgian competition law is increasingly targeting individual employees. Using recent cases from the Belgian Competition Authority, they explained who is at risk, what sanctions are possible and how companies can better protect their employees.

Faros Lunch Webinar: Key Implications and Practical Clarifications Resulting from the Omnibus Proposals

• 23/06/2026

On June 23, Anouk Focquet and Sofie Deprez of our Data Protection team hosted another Faros Lunch Webinar, this time on the key developments for GDPR and ePrivacy arising from the Digital Omnibus initiatives.

During the webinar, they discussed, among other things, the right of access, including the grounds for refusal; the use of legitimate interest for the development of AI; and the new approach to data breach reporting, including the proposed extended notification deadlines. Key intersections with ePrivacy, such as access to terminal equipment and cookies, were also addressed.

Federation Project

• 20/04/2026

In late April, Faros, together with the VBO-FEB, presented the results of the federation study at a conference organized by the VBO-FEB. At the same time, the VBO-FEB toolkit and the Faros handbook on federations and competition law were also introduced.

One message stood out: compliance is essential, especially when the boundaries are not always black and white.

Legal500

• 31/03/2026

Faros is again listed this year as one of the best law firms in Belgium in its areas of practice. Several partners are ranked individually. Anouk Focquet and Emmelie Wijckmans are recognized as Next Generation Partners, a strong confirmation of their talent and growth within their fields of expertise. Frank Wijckmans was awarded Leading Partner status, which underscores his many years of experience and strong reputation.

These achievements are the result of the joint efforts of our entire team and motivate us to continue supporting our clients at the highest level in the future.

Data Protection at KU Leuven

• 25/03/2026

The practical course season at KU Leuven is starting.

Anouk Focquet is guiding groups of students through the world of data protection. She tries to make the sessions as interactive as possible, using game formats and FAROS gadgets.

Will we see you at your university soon?

Karolien Francken and Annemie van de Vliet Guest Speakers at the University of Antwerp and Ghent University!

• 26/03/2026

Faros was invited to teach competition law to students at the University of Antwerp and Ghent University. The Faros team touched upon a wide range of competition law topics and supported the explanations with real-world examples and valuable insights.

Flash Info – Competition Law as Lunch

• 23/03/2026

On April 29, 2026 (12:00–13:00 CET), the Competition Team of Faros is hosting a free online lunch webinar on a truly hot topic, notably personal liability in competition law.

In one hour, you will receive a clear and practical overview of the risks for employees and directors under Belgian competition law. Who can be held personally liable? For which practices? Sanctions? Anything that can be done to protect your team members?

Interested? Click on “Events” and register!

Chambers & Partners

• 19/03/2026

Three years ago, we started Faros with a small yet dedicated and talented team.

This week, Chambers & Partners ranked us Band 2 in Competition (Domestic) and Band 3 in TMT / Data Protection.

Elsa Alumni Dinner

• 13/02/2026

Emmelie Wijckmans and Karolien Francken represented Faros at the ELSA Alumni Dinner. As both were members of ELSA during their student days, it was a bit of home coming. Faros attaches great importance to its contacts with students so that such events are truly appreciated.

New Competition Glossary online!

• 11/02/2026

In our new Glossary video, we break down the complex concept of non-compete obligations in distribution agreements and explain its key elements in a clear and practical way. Curious to learn more? Visit our Glossary page to watch the full video.

https://www.faros.eu/nl/glossary

Loss of nationality and eu citizenship: the fourth chapter in the court’s case law

• 11/02/2026

Nieuw Juridisch Weekblad – Maya Cornelis

Faros is very proud when its young associates are publishing in legal literature. This is exactly what Maya Cornelis did in this publication. Maya takes a deep dive into the world of loss of nationality and EU citizenship, drawing on recent case law of the Court of Justice. She analyses how the Court further restricts the margin of discretion of Member States and highlights the importance of procedural safeguards.

New Meeting Rooms at Faros!

• 2/02/2026

Faros is delighted to introduce two brand-new meeting rooms, now available for our clients and team members.

Both rooms are carefully designed with a modern and stylish interior, creating a professional yet welcoming atmosphere. Subtle decorative touches were added. It is up to our visitors to discover them.

Frank Wijckmans trains national judges at the request of the OECD and the European Commission

• 20/01/2026

On 19 and 20 January 2026 Frank Wijckmans participated in the “Competition Lab for Judges” which took place in Budapest. This event is organized by the OECD and supported by the European Commission. The program aims to train judges that may encounter issues of competition law in their practice. Frank had the challenging task of guiding the judges through the intricacies of territorial restraints in vertical agreements. This led to interesting exchanges with many relevant questions presented by the participants.