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Karl Stas

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When faced with complex competition or regulatory issues, clients turn to Karl Stas for no-nonsense, business-focused advice. A senior counsel in the Antitrust and Competition group in Crowell & Moring’s Brussels office, Karl focuses on EU and Belgian competition law (including state aid), public and administrative law, the regulation of network industries, and the digital economy. He regularly advises clients in the telecommunications, media, entertainment, postal and pharmaceutical sectors, among others.

Karl assists international and Belgian clients in complex antitrust and regulatory matters, representing them before both the European Commission and national antitrust and regulatory authorities. In addition to his extensive advisory experience in these areas, Karl is also an experienced litigator, regularly representing clients before Belgian civil and administrative courts at all levels, as well as before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).

Karl has been noted as a “key figure” for competition law in Belgium by the leading legal journal Legal 500 EMEA.

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In the coming weeks or months, the European Commission is expected to table an ambitious set of draft legislation that, if adopted, will have a major impact on the business practices of digital service providers in the EU, including non-EU companies serving European users: the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The Commission’s legislative proposals aim to strengthen the responsibilities of online platforms and to support fair competition in digital markets.

1. The Digital Services Act (DSA): increasing responsibilities for digital service providers

The DSA’s main objective is to update the e-Commerce Directive. This is long overdue, as the legal framework for digital services has remained largely unchanged since the e-Commerce Directive was adopted in 2000. The update aims to clarify the liability regime for digital intermediaries active in the EU and to reinforce oversight and enforcement.

The DSA will require digital service providers to take more responsibility for dealing with harmful or illegal content and dangerous or counterfeit products. They will have to put in place clear and simple procedures to deal with notifications about harmful or illegal content or goods on their platforms. They will also have to verify the identity of traders before letting them on their platforms (“know your business customer”). At the same time, they will have to make available simple procedures for platform users to complain if they think the removal of their material was unwarranted.
Continue Reading New EU Proposals to Regulate Digital Markets – What to Expect