Robbert Snelders is Co-Leader of Cleary Gottlieb’s EMEA Competition Group.

He has extensive experience in EU and worldwide merger control proceedings, cartel and abuse of dominance investigations, as well as litigation before national courts and the European Courts.

Robbert is recognized as a leading antitrust lawyer by Chambers Global and Europe, and similar publications, and previously by Global Competition Review’s “40 Under 40” surveys of the world’s brightest young antitrust lawyers. He is co-editor and co-author of a leading treatise entitled, Abuse of Dominance Under Article 102 TFEU) and co-author of the annual Antitrust Developments in Europe, a book published by LexisNexis.

Robbert is a Dutch citizen. He joined the firm in New York in 1992 and became a partner in 2001.

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Notable Experience

Counsel in numerous EU cartel investigations and cartel settlements including:

  • The first-ever EU leniency application (lysine), the first-ever EU cartel settlement decision (DRAMs, for SK Hynix), and the first-ever EU cartel settlement decision after issuance of a formal statement of objections (trucks), as well as cartel matters spanning a broad range of other industries (e.g., the nucleotide, faucets, bitumen, wax, optical disk drives, bearings and other automotive components, gasoline, natural gas, shipping and financial services sectors).

  • Recent agency highlights include: Citigroup in the EU investigations of alleged FX Spot, Yen Libor and Euribor rate manipulation and the EU investigation of CDS data licensing; Volvo/Renault in an EU cartel settlement concerning trucks, NSK in an EU cartel settlement concerning bearings; and K-Line in an EU cartel settlement concerning maritime car carriers.

  • Recent appeal highlights include: Sony in its pending appeal against a €30 million cartel fine in the ODD sector; ExxonMobil in securing a €20 million fine reduction before the EU General Court in connection with the paraffin wax cartel.

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Counsel in numerous merger and alliance cases including:

  • Google/Wiz

  • Synopsys/Ansys

  • Google/Fitbit

  • IBM/Software AG, IBM/RedHat, IBM/SAG, IBM/Cognos, IBM/Telelogic, IBM/Rational, IBM/Informix, IBM/PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and IBM/Maersk Line

  • Mittal/Arcelor; ArcelorMittal/Ilva

  • Peugeot/GM (Opel)

  • Exxon/Mobil; ExxonMobil/XTO

  • AB InBev/Anadolu Efes

  • Samsung Electronics/HP

  • Sony/BMG and Sony/SonyEriccson

  • Philip Morris/Nabisco

  • Alitalia/Air France

  • GM/Fiat

  • Nokia/Siemens and Nokia/Trolltech

  • Suntory/Beam

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Counsel in numerous unilateral conduct and other investigations including:

  • Google in an EU investigation covering virtually all aspects of Google’s business and related litigation, including its appeals before the CJEU challenging the EC’s Google Search (Shopping) decision.

  • IBM in its successful defense against a series of high-profile antitrust complaints before the EU in the area of mainframe emulation, mainframe pricing, and maintenance services for mainframes and midrange servers.

  • Sony BMG’s successful defense in the 2010 EU investigation of its online licensing arrangements with Apple’s iTunes platform.

  • Sony in an Article 101/102 investigation into Blu-ray and HD-DVD standard setting.

  • Walt Disney in EU investigations of MFN clauses with pay-TV broadcasters and virtual print fees for digital cinema.

  • Philips in connection with an EU investigation of an IP licensing program.

  • Dassault Systemes, ASML, and other software, IT and telecom firms in various matters including EU investigations.

  • Booking.com in its compliance with the EU Digital Markets Act.

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SELECTED ACTIVITIES

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  • Member, Scientific Council, College of Europe’s Global Competition Law Centre

Publications

“Navigating the Evolving Global Antitrust Landscape,” Cleary Gottlieb Selected Issues for Boards of Directors in 2026, January 15, 2026

“The DMA High Level Group Endorses Joint Paper on the Regulation of AI,” Cleary Antitrust Watch blog, December 29, 2025 

“EU Merger Guidelines Consultation – Our Views on Public Policy, Security, and Labour Market Considerations,” Cleary Antitrust Watch blog, November 19, 2025  

“EU Merger Guidelines Consultation – Our Views on Efficiencies,” Cleary Antitrust Watch blog, November 6, 2025 

“EU Merger Guidelines Consultation – Our Views on Digitalization,” Cleary Antitrust Watch blog, October 30, 2025 

“EU Merger Guidelines Consultation – Our Views on Sustainability and Clean Technologies,” Cleary Antitrust Watch blog, October 16, 2025 

“EU Merger Guidelines Consultation – Our Views on Innovation and Other Dynamic Elements in Merger Control,” Cleary Antitrust Watch blog, October 8, 2025

“EU Merger Guidelines Consultation – Our Views on Assessing Market Power,” Cleary Antitrust Watch blog, September 29, 2025  

“EU Merger Guidelines Consultation – Our Views on Competitiveness & Resilience,” Cleary Antitrust Watch blog, September 18, 2025 

“EU Merger Guideline Consultation – Our Views on Possible Reforms,” Cleary Antitrust Watch blog, September 5, 2025 

“Illumina/GRAIL: ECJ Rules European Commission Lacks Jurisdiction to Review Merger Falling Below EU and National Merger Threshold,” Cleary Gottlieb Alert Memo, September 5, 2024 

Antitrust Developments in Europe (annual publication) 

The Dominance and Monopolies Review – 11th Edition

”EC Designates the First Set of Gatekeepers Under the Digital Markets Act,” Cleary Antitrust Watch blog, September 6, 2023

“European Commission asserts merger control jurisdiction over non-reportable deals for first time after Illumina/Grail,” Cleary Antitrust Watch blog, August 22, 2023 

“Commission Revamps its Article 102 Guidance and Will Adopt new Guidelines in 2025,” Cleary Gottlieb Alert Memo, July 4, 2023

“The European Commission Simplifies Its Merger Control Review Process,” Cleary Antitrust Watch blog, April 27, 2023

“Commission Revamps its Article 102 Guidance and Will Adopt new Guidelines in 2025,” Cleary Gottlieb Alert Memo, March 30, 2023

“Belgium,” Lexology Getting the Deal Through: Dominance 2023, March 2023

The Dominance and Monopolies Review – 10th Edition, 2022

“Belgium,” The Dominance and Monopolies Review – Edition 9, 2021

“Cartel Settlements: An Overview of EU and National Case Law,” Concurrences, June 17, 2021

“Dutch Court Rules On Legal Privilege For In-House Lawyers,” Cleary Gottlieb Alert Memo, March 4, 2021 (originally published January 4, 2021 by Concurrences)

“ECJ Annuls Paramount Commitments on Cross-Border Pay-TV Licensing,” Cleary Gottlieb Alert Memo, January 4, 2021

“EU Commission Call for Contributions on ‘Competition Policy Supporting the Green Deal’,” Cleary Gottlieb Alert Memo, October 19, 2020

“Belgium,” The Dominance and Monopolies Review – Edition 8, 2020 

“Belgium,” The Dominance and Monopolies Review – Edition 7, 2019

Co-editor, EU Competition Law Vol. VII: EU Competition Law & Intellectual Property (Claeys & Casteels), November 2019

“Belgium,” The Dominance and Monopolies Review – Edition 6, 2018

“Online Sales of Luxury Goods in Selective Distribution Networks – Coty Judgment,” Cleary Gottlieb Alert Memo, January 8, 2018

“Belgium” by Robbert Snelders, Thomas Woolfson and Athina Van Melkebeke, The Dominance and Monopolies Review, Law Business Research, August 2017, p. 23-43 (Chapter 3)

Co-editor and co-author, Abuse of Dominance Under Article 102 TFEU (Claeys and Casteels)

Co-author, Antitrust Developments in Europe (annual; LexisNexis)

Events