Stijn is a partner at Geradin Partners. Before joining the firm, Stijn was Legal Director at the United Kingdom’s (UK) Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

At Geradin Partners, Stijn specialises in public and private enforcement of competition law, covering the European Union (EU), UK and the Netherlands. He has extensive experience representing clients in competition and merger control investigations before the European Commission, CMA and Dutch ACM and in appeals at the European Courts and the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal. He also represents clients in competition damages actions before the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal and the Dutch Courts. He is available to assist on sensitive or strategic issues such as advising individuals, directors and investors in competition inquiries. 

At the CMA, Stijn built up extensive experience leading complex competition investigations. Stijn led the legal teams in a number of high-profile investigations in the life sciences sector, including Hydrocortisone, which featured a record-breaking £260m penalty, Fludrocortisone in which the CMA secured a multi-million settlement for the National Health Service, and Quantum Pharmaceuticals.

Stijn has significant experience in procedural issues, including issues involving legal privilege, dawn raids and requests for information. He has acted for clients subject to inspections by the European Commission and ACM, as well as in challenges to the Hearing Officer and the Courts. He has conducted many compulsory interviews with company directors at the CMA and can represent directors in preparations for and assistance in interviews and hearings.

Stijn also led the CMA’s legal preparations for Brexit, advising the UK Government on all legislation and guidance required to prepare the UK’s competition regime for Brexit. In addition, he represented the UK in its final competition intervention in the EU Courts in the landmark merger appeal in Case T-399/16 CK Telecoms v Commission. 

Stijn regularly speaks at conferences and lectures on competition law and digital regulation, including at the Competition Appeal Tribunal, Queen’s University Belfast, the OECD, the Law Society, Global Competition Review, Toulouse School of Economics and the China Institute of International Antitrust and Investment. He is also a non-governmental adviser to the CMA in relation to the International Competition Network. 

Stijn is Dutch-qualified and fluent in Dutch and, prior to joining the CMA advised clients in relation to Dutch and EU-related issues at Houthoff, a leading independent Dutch firm.

• Defence of US listed company in ongoing European Commission Article 102 investigation.
• Assisting companies in complaints to the European Commission, ACM and CMA.
• Representing 34 European media companies, including Axel Springer, DPG Media, Mediahuis, Prensa Ibérica, Schibsted, Sanoma and others in EUR 2.1 billion action for damages against Google in relation to ad tech in the Amsterdam District Court.
• Representing class representative Dr Sean Ennis in his class action on behalf of UK-domiciled app developers against Apple in the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal.
• Representing class representative Ad Tech Collective Action LLP in its class action on behalf of UK-domiciled publishers against Google in the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal.
• Advising companies on the creation of app stores on Apple devices following adoption of the Digital Markets Act.
• Leading the CMA legal teams in several high-profile investigations including Hydrocortisone (excessive pricing and market sharing), Fludrocortisone (market sharing and exclusionary abuse of dominance), Quantum Pharmaceuticals, the Design, construction and fit-out services cartel and others.
• Advising the UK Government on all competition law legislation and guidance required as a result of the Brexit Referendum vote, the Withdrawal Agreement and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. Advising the UK Government on measures taken in response to the Covid-19 crisis.
• Successful defence of dawn raid challenge in the High Court ([2018] EWCH 3448 (Ch)) and Court of Appeal ([2018] EWCA Civ 1881) in Concordia v Competition and Markets Authority.
• Intervention in the General Court in CK Hutchison’s appeal against the European Commission’s decision in the Three/O2 merger (T-399/16 CK Telecoms v Commission).
• Merger investigations including BT/EE and Three/O2.
• Before joining the CMA, Stijn advised on Dutch and EU competition law for companies including Nordic Capital, Eneco, Scania (Trucks cartel) and Janssen de Jong, as well as conducting litigation in relation to freedom of information requests and private damages.

Brussels School of Competition, Brussels (LLM, magna cum laude) (2012)

Erasmus University, Rotterdam (LLM) (2008)

Erasmus University, Rotterdam and Université Paul Cézanne, Aix-en-Provence (LLB) (2007)

_{Stijn Huijts has registered competition law in the Netherlands Bar’s register of legal practice areas (rechtsgebiedenregister). Based on this registration, he is required to obtain ten training credits per calendar year in this legal practice area in accordance with the standards set by the Netherlands Bar.}

Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Brussels, Belgium (EU list)

English, Dutch

• Regular speaker at events organised by Global Competition Review, ThoughtLeaders4, Universities, etc. Stijn is also a non-governmental advisor (NGA) for the CMA at the International Competition Network (ICN)
• Panel on the Metaverse / virtual worlds at Toulouse School of Economics (2023)
• Lecture to judges at Competition Appeal Tribunal on consequences of Brexit for public competition enforcement (2021)
• Joint lecture with European Commission at London School of Economics on Brexit and Speech at the Law Society on the CMA’s Brexit guidance (2021)
• Speeches on the Google/Streetmap and Remicade cases at the China Institute of International Antitrust and Investment, Beijing (2019)
• Guest lecturer on UK competition law at Queen’s University Belfast (2018 and 2019)
• Contributor, K Bania and D Geradin (eds), The Digital Markets Act: A Guide to the Regulation of Big Tech in the EU(Hart Publishing) (2024)
• Article on the effects-based test in Abuse of Dominance cases in Oxford Review of Economic Policy (Oxford University Press) (2024)
• Article on Apple and Google’s restrictions on Cloud Gaming in Interactive Entertainment Law Review (Elgar Publishing) (2023)
• Article on Google Shopping judgment in Tijdschrift voor Europees Recht (in Dutch) (2022)
• Article on consequences of Brexit for Dutch practitioners in Markt & Mededinging (in Dutch) (2021)
• Article on impact of Brexit on EU citizens in Dutch daily newspaper NRC Handelsblad (2017)
• Article on Intel v Commission in Competition Law Journal (2015)
• Chapter on parental liability in competition law in Derecho de la Competencia (2013) (L. Ortiz Blanco (ed.))
• Article on Toshiba v Commission in Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Europees Recht (in Dutch) (2012)
• Article on developments in Dutch competition law in European Competition Journal (2012)
• Article on Aalberts v Commission in Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Europees Recht (in Dutch) (2011)