“Kasia Czapracka is an outstanding support to our team. She understands our business and delivers clear and actionable advice.”
“Katarzyna Czapracka is an extremely professional, commercial and experienced lawyer who I would be comfortable to entrust with any matter."
Biography
Based in Brussels, Kasia advises clients on the full spectrum of competition law, with particular expertise in complex merger control and antitrust matters. She has represented buyers, sellers, targets, and third parties in Phase II merger investigations before the European Commission and national competition authorities.
Kasia frequently leads and coordinates multijurisdictional merger control and foreign direct investment reviews in cross-border transactions, guiding clients through intricate regulatory processes worldwide. She has also led teams in precedent-setting cases that have secured approvals under the newly adopted EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation.
Her practice further includes defending clients in abuse of dominance, cartel, and distribution-related matters. She has extensive experience in EU and national antitrust investigations, as well as litigation before EU and national courts, including representing clients in follow-on damages actions arising from European Commission infringement decisions. Kasia also advises on antitrust compliance, particularly at the intersection of intellectual property and competition law.
In addition to her practice, Kasia has published and spoken internationally on antitrust topics. She earned her doctorate (J.S.D.) from Columbia Law School and has worked in the firm's New York and Washington, D.C. offices, where she focused on international and U.S. antitrust matters. She was also seconded to the firm's Warsaw office.
Experience
Represented LDC in EU merger control, foreign subsidies regulation (FSR), purchaser approval and FDI reviews related to LDC's acquisition of Bunge/Viterra divestment business.
Advised LDC on the regulatory aspects of the proposed acquisition of BASF's food ingredients business, which required regulatory approvals in multiple jurisdictions worldwide.
Represented Swisscom in a Phase II merger control review before the Italian Competition Authority, and in the FSR review by the European Commission of its landmark US$8.3 billion acquisition of Vodafone Italia.
Obtained unconditional EU clearance for a leading European synthetic rubber producer's acquisition of an EU-based rival, following a complex, multi-jurisdictional review and referral to the European Commission.
Negotiated a cart settlement with the European Commission on behalf of a client accused of participating in a cartel concerning purchases of the styrene monomer merchant market (case AT.40547).
Represented a third party and prepared their submissions in the EU Phase II investigation into the acquisition of the Polish refinery, Lotos, by Orlen, the largest Polish gas and oil company.
Represented a target before the European Commission in a Phase II merger in the shipyard industry, which lead to a Prohibition Decision.
Advised Avast on its merger with NortonLifeLock (including the unconditional Phase II clearance before the UK's CMA), creating Gen Digital.
Represented Deutsche Telekom in the proposed acquisition of Tele2 Netherlands, a four-to-three mobile market consolidation, which was cleared unconditionally by the European Commission following a Phase II investigation.
Represented Telia in an EU merger Phase II filing relating to a proposed JV with Telenor in Denmark. The transaction would have reduced the number of the mobile network operators in Denmark from four to three.
Represented Synthos Kralupy (formerly Kaučuk) in the application for annulment of the Commission Decision finding Kaučuk liable for the BR/ESBR cartel infringement and imposing a fine of €17.55 million. The General Court annulled the European Commission's infringement decision against the companies and overturned in their entirety the fines imposed on them. (Cases T-44/07 and T-45/07).
Represented Chalkor in an appeal before the Court of Justice of the EU against a European Commission cartel decision concerning copper plumbing tubes. The case raised fundamental questions of due process and judicial review, which shaped European competition case law. (Cases C-386/10 P and T-21/05).
Advised a global technology company in an EU investigation into its rebate practices.
Represented a major international company active in the coffee market in abuse of dominance proceedings, as well as in litigation in national courts and competition authorities.
Advised a major telecoms company on an abuse of dominance (margin squeeze) case, which involved interactions with both national authorities and the European Commission.
Foreign Expert: Poland, Competition: EU (Foreign Expertise), Chambers Global 2025
"It is very pleasant to work with Katarzyna Czapracka. She has an impressive knowledge of the telecoms industry, is responsive and able to think through next steps effectively in a complex matter."
Chambers Global Guide 2025: Belgium
"Katarzyna Czapracka is someone I rate very highly. I can ring her up with any questions."
"She is proactive, cooperative and offers good communication with other stakeholders."
"Katarzyna Czapracka is a very intelligent, client-oriented and business-aware lawyer with great enthusiasm and dedication to her job. She ran the job with a proper approach, taking care of her client."
Competition: EU in Belgium, Chambers Global 2024
Recommended, Belgium and Poland, Competition: EU and global, Legal 500 EMEA 2021
Future Leader: Competition, Who's Who Legal 2020, 2021
Shortlisted as Tech, Media, and Telecommunications Lawyer of the Year, Euromoney Women in Business Awards – Europe, 2021
Shortlisted as "Shining Star", Women@, Five Star Women Competition Professionals, Brussels Bubble, 2021
Shortlisted as Best in Competition and Antitrust, Euromoney Women in Business Awards – Europe, 2019
'CompLaw: Merger Control' conference, "EU Merger Control Enforcement under Ribera", 7 October 2025: Informa, Brussels, Belgium
Roundtable on the Developing EU Defence Regulatory Landscape, "Towards a European Single Market for Defence?", 24 September 2025: White & Case, Brussels Belgium
European Competition Day, "Antitrust's crossover episodes: antitrust enforcement and new frontiers – labour markets", 26 May 2025: UOKiK, Warsaw, Poland
The Global Merger Control Forum 2025, "Theories of Harm", 15 May 2025: ThoughtLeaders4, Brussels, Belgium
144th GCLC Lunch Talk, "Navigating a Post-Illumina World", 2 December 2024: GCLC, Brussels, Belgium
"Illumina/Grail Case: EU Court Overturns EU Commission's Decision", 27 September 2024: ThoughtLeaders4, Webinar
CompLaw: Merger Control conference, "Innovation and Non-Price Competiton", 26 September 2024: Informa, Brussels, Belgium
XV Kongres Prawa Konkurencji, "Unijny akt o rynkach cyfrowych: Nowe narzędzia KE i ich wpływ na politykę konkurencji na poziomie unijnym i krajowym" [The EU Digital Markets Act: New EC tools and their impact on competition policy at EU and national level], 30 November 2023: Urząd Ochrony Konkurencji i Konsumentów (UOKIK), Warsaw, Poland
Advanced EU merger conference, "Managing Multi-jurisdictional mergers in the age of uncertainty", 22 November 2023: Informa, Brussels, Belgium
Quarterly Global Merger Control Update, 11 October 2023: Informa/ White & Case, Webinar
EU Merger Control conference, "CK Telecoms & 'Gap Cases': Implications for the EU Merger Control Review", 28 September 2023: Informa, Brussels, Belgium
II Kongres Prawa Konsumenckiego, "Dark patterns - nieuczciwe praktyki rynkowe", 23/24 May 2023: Urząd Ochrony Konkurencji i Konsumentów (UOKIK), Warsaw, Poland
Competition Law in Conversation, "Online distribution under the new Vertical Agreements Block Exemption Regulation", 6 December 2022: WU Vienna, Webinar
EU Merger Control conference, "Review of Article 22 after Illumina/Grail", 28 September 2022: Informa, Brussels, Belgium
Trends in Competition Law in Poland, "Major decisions in the area of merger control - an extrapolation of trends", 14 June 2022: Centre for Antitrust and Regulatory Studies (CARS), Warsaw, Poland
What's new on competition in digital markets?, "Policy session: Data and market power", 10 June 2022: Toulouse School of Economics, Webinar
11th Frontiers of Antitrust Conference, "Start-ups, EU champions and unicorns for a digital sovereignty: What role for competition policy?", 3 November 2020: Concurrences, webinar
Concurrences webinar "The General Court's CK Telecoms Ruling: Is Three the New Magic Number?", 1 July 2020
CEE Roundtable Debate, "Due Process in Competition Proceedings", 29 November 2019: W@Competition, Warsaw, Poland
Ekonomia Prawa Konkurencji, "Ekonomia prawa konkurencji - Porozumienia wertykalne - praktyczne aspekty porozumień pionowych" [Economics of competition law – Vertical agreements – Practical aspects], 5 June 2019: Urząd Ochrony Konkurencji i Konsumentów (UOKIK), Warsaw, Poland
Conference on Current Trends in Slovak and EU Competition Law, "Vertical Restraints – Recent Developments in the EU and Poland", 22 May 2019: AMO (with Faculty of law, Comenius University in Bratislava & W@CompetitionCEE), Bratislava, Slovak Republic
Competition Law Central & Eastern Europe (CEE) 2019, "Recent Developments in Merger Control", 21 May 2019: Knecht365, Warsaw, Poland
Kazus: Antymonopolowa Analiza Systemu Rabatowego [Workshop on the Assessment of Rebates under the Competition Rules], 25 April 2019, Warsaw, Poland
American Bar Association (ABA) webinar on "Class Actions European Style", 11 December 2018
Competition Law Congress, "Rabaty, upusty, bonusy, premie a regulacje krajowego i unijnego prawa konkurencji" [Rebates, Discounts, Bonuses and Premium under UE and National Competition Law], 15 November 2018: Puls Biznesu Bonnier, Warsaw, Poland
Co-author, ECJ Advocate General proposes that non-reportable transactions could be caught by abuse of dominance rules, Westlaw Today, 17 November 2022
Co-author, chapters on "Europe" & "Poland", Getting the Deal Through - Market Intelligence - Merger Control, January 2021 - 2023
Current Intelligence Slovak Telekom v Commission the Court clarifies the essential facilities doctrine and the Bronner judgment, Journal of European Competition Law and Practice (JECLAP), 2 August 2021
'No magic number' means 'no magic number': will the EU Court turn the tide on four-to-three mobile mergers in Europe?, Competition Law Journal, August 2021
Start-ups, European champions and unicorns for a digital sovereignty: What role for competition policy?, Concurrences, N°1-2021 - New Frontiers of Antitrust, February 2021
Will last year's landmark ruling open the door to in-country consolidations?, Mobile Europe, 4 January 2021
Co-author, The shifting sands of EU merger control – un, deux, trois, piano!, Competition Law & Policy Debate, Volume 3, Issue 4, November 2017 (with Mark Powell)
The Transatlantic Divide on Verticals—The Underlying Reasons and the Way Forward, The Antitrust Bulletin 2017, Vol. 62(2) 294-312, May 2017
Co-author, "The UPS Case: Merger parties must have a chance to review the European Commission's econometric evidence", Competition Law Insight, April 2017 (with James Killick)
Co-author, "Arbitrating Competition Law Matters in Pharmaceutical Matters," chapter in EU and US Antitrust Arbitration, Blanke & Landolt (Eds.), Wolters Kluwer, 2011 (with Ian Forrester)
Co-author, "Compulsory Licensing in European Competition Law: The Power of the Adjective," Intellectual Property and Competition Law: New Frontiers, Anderman and Ezrachi (Eds.), Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2011 (with Ian Forrester)
Co-author, "Recent EU Antitrust Investigations into Financial Services—What Is the Scope for Antitrust Intervention?," CPI Antitrust Chronicle, July 2011 (with Mark Powell)
Co-author, "IP Rights in the EU Microsoft Saga," Competition Law and the Enforcement of Article 102, Etro & Kokkoris (Eds.), Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2010 (with Assimakis Komninos)
"Aksjologiczne ramy unijnego prawa konkurencji," Konstytucja gospodarcza Unii Europejskiej. Aksjologia, Artur Nowak-Far (ed.), C.H. Beck, 2010
"Intellectual Property and the Limits Of Antitrust: A Comparative Study of U.S. and EU Approaches," Edward Elgar, 2009
"Antitrust and Trade Secrets: The U.S. and EU Approach," 24 Santa Clara Computer High Technology Law Journal, 2008
"Where Antitrust Ends and IP Begins – on the Roots of the Transatlantic Clashes," 9 Yale J. L. & Tech. 44, 2007
