EU and competition

Cobalt

Cobalt provides advice on high-value merger clearances, cartel investigations, public tender disputes, and private enforcement proceedings, acting for a broad spectrum of international and local clients. Practice head Rasa Zaščiurinskaitė has extensive experience covering Lithuanian and EU competition and state aid law, with clients also praising her ‘in-depth knowledge’ and ’ deep sense of business’. Supporting her are senior associates Laura Ryzgelytė, who is experienced in antitrust and state aid issues; Justinas Šileika, who is noted for abuse of dominance work and regulations; and Manvydas Borusas, who brings further breadth on whistleblower protection work, litigation, and EU sanctions. In late 2023, the firm saw the addition of managing associate Simona Liuimienė, who has previous experience at the Competition Council of Lithuania as well as the European Commission.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

‘Professionals in their field, responsibly performing their work, offering concrete solutions. They listen, pay attention, delve into each question.’
‘Qualified competition law experts who understand business, its processes, do tasks on time, are available.’
‘Rasa Zaščiurinskaitė is a very qualified law expert, has much experience, and performs tasks with quality and on time. Manvydas Borusas is the lawyer I would like to recommend as competition law expert as well. Both are always available and qualified, meet business expectations.’
‘Cobalt has been advising us on various EU law and national competition law matters for several years. We have always been impressed with their depth of knowledge, attention to detail, and commitment to client service. They are a true partner to our business. Their compliance services are exceptional and unmatchable.'
‘Proactive, suggesting necessary changes long before they take effect. If necessary, drafts of the necessary documents are offered. Reliable partner.’
'Cobalt‘s in-depth knowledge of European and national competition and regulatory law and their strategic guidance helped us navigate complex regulatory issues with confidence. Cobalt‘s team is incredibly adept in analysing market dynamics and their strategic advice is unmatchable. They constantly provide us with expert guidance on compliance with EU regulations in a very professional, timely and business oriented manner.'
‘Our main contact is Rasa Zaščiurinskaitė who is a true expert in the field. We especially value, appreciate and cherish Rasa who not only has strong expert knowledge, but also a deep sense of business, always provides accurate insights and advice in order to achieve the best result. She is always up to date with the latest legal developments and is able to provide clients with creative and effective solutions to even the most challenging legal issues. Rasa is not only a reliable lawyer, but business consultant who sees every question and situation from various angles, so the help she provides is especially helpful in developing various business projects.’

Key clients

Wolt
Karcher
Eugesta
Danone
Daisena
Alter Domus
Ministry of Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania
Tele2
Tetas
Tece Baltikum
Johnson & Johnson
Woodline
Hollister Lietuva
Kalnapilio-Tauro grupė (RoyalUnibrew Group)
Brink’s Lithuania
Lego Group
Birštono mineraliniai vandenys
Graina
Merko statyba
Atea
Air Baltic Corporation
Moller Auto
G4S
Rituals Cosmetics Enterprise
Estrella Baltics (part of Intersnack Group)
Lietuvos geležinkeliai (Lithuanian Railways)
Riga International Airport
Avitela
KJK Management
ARX (official Skoda importer in Lithuania)
Kesko Senukai Lithuania
Media bitės
Lords LB Asset Management
Medipresa
Huqsvarna
Innovative Pharmaceutical Industry Association (IFPA)
Kauno grūdai
Bayer
Baltcap
Vilniaus energija
Mediterranean Shipping Company
ORLEN Lithuania
Lyra Group
European Investment Bank
Lithuanian Business Support Agency
Apranga
Cgates
Lietuvos paštas (Lithuanian Post)
Biržų ranga
Consolis
Benu, Tamro (Phoenix group)
Tolimojo keleivinio transporto kompanija
Lithuanian basketball league
AkzoNobel Baltics
Concretus Group
Rokiškio pienas
Pieno žvaigždės
Novian Technologies
AS REPHARM
Elektrum (Latvenergo AS subsidiary)

Work highlights

Represented the LKL (Lithuanian basketball league) and the basketball club Pasvalio “Pieno žvaigždės” basketball club in an antitrust investigation of the Competition Council in relation to an alleged cartel between basketball clubs and the League regarding the conditions of payment of salaries to basketball players related to the quarantine declared because of Covid-19.
Successfully represented UAB Grifs AG in two antitrust investigations by the Lithuanian Competition Council regarding alleged price fixing and market sharing which were terminated successfully.
Successfully advised 15min Group on performing assessments of the prospects of obtaining competition clearance for several contemplated acquisitions of significant competitors through all merger clearance procedures.