Brussels, September 24, 2025 – The Belgian Competition Authority (BCA) has launched a wide-ranging investigation into sectoral price revision and indexation mechanisms, inviting businesses, industry groups, consumer associations, and experts to contribute their experiences.
The inquiry, announced in February this year, aims to map out the diverse indexation practices used across the Belgian economy, with the goal of identifying best practices and spotting methods that may need adjustment to comply with competition law and policy.
Price indexation – the automatic adjustment of prices based on external indicators such as inflation, wage costs, or raw material prices – plays a central role in many Belgian contracts and industries. While often justified as a means of ensuring stability, transparency, and predictability, such mechanisms can raise competition concerns if they reduce flexibility, discourage competition, or lock in higher prices for consumers.
The BCA noted that over the past months, it has already engaged in in-depth discussions with market players, regulators, and experts, which provided “important initial insights” into the different indexation models applied. To broaden the evidence base, it is now seeking input from a wider pool of stakeholders.
Stakeholders can submit contributions via the BCA’s dedicated contact form (available in French and Dutch) or directly to sectorinquiries@bma-abc.be.
Source: https://www.belgiancompetition.be/en/about-us/publications/sector-inquiry-call-contributions
