Christian Wik

Christian is ranked Band 1 in Finland in Competition/European Law by Chambers Europe. He is also recognized as a leading expert in competition by other major international legal directories such as The Legal 500 (Hall of Fame) and Who’s Who Legal. In addition, Who’s Who Legal ranks Christian as a Global Leader in Competition (2022).

According to clients Christian is “very competent in competition law issues” (Chambers Europe, 2023); “an outstanding expert in competition law who provides to-the-point advice” (Chambers Europe, 2018). Clients also point out that Christian is “widely renowned for his expertise and is particularly noted in the market for his international work.” (Chambers Europe, 2020). Clients further describe him as a “good litigator, with long-standing experience in Finland” (Chambers Europe, 2019). 

Christian Wik’s experience includes advising:

• Patricia Industries in Apoteket AB’s investment in Doktor 24 AB;
• YIT Corporation in its combination with Lemminkäinen. The merger control process was until early 2018 the biggest merger control review undertaken by the Finnish Competition and Cosumer Authority (FCCA), creating the leading Finnish construction company. Having conducted a Phase II investigation (with an extention applied from the Market Court), the FCCA cleared the merger unconditionally;
• Nets in the acquisition of OP Financial Group’s merchant acquiring business;
• Eltel Networks Oy and Eltel Group Oy in the FCCA’s investigation and proceeding of an alleged cartel in the market for building power transmission lines in Finland. In October 2014 the FCCA proposed to the Market Court the imposition of a EUR 35 million fine on Eltel. In March 2016 the Market Court dismissed the proposal of the FCCA as time-barred, having also dismissed the FCCA’s allegations of several aspect of the alleged infringement. The Market Court also ordered the FCCA to compensate part of Eltel’s legal costs due to breaches of due process. The FCCA has appealed to the Supreme Administrative Court, where the matter is pending;
• Arla Oy in the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority’s (FCCA) investigation and the subsequent Finnish Market Court’s proceedings regarding the abuse of dominant market position by Valio Oy on the Finnish fresh milk market through predatory pricing and market foreclosure. In December 2012 the FCCA ordered Valio to cease the abusive behavior and proposed to the Market Court the imposition of a EUR 70 million fine on Valio, which is the highest fine for an individual company in the Finnish competition law history. In June 2014 the Finnish Market Court dismissed an appeal brought by Valio against the FCCA’s decision and upheld the fine of EUR 70 million. In December 2016 the Supreme Administrative Court, which is the final appellate instance, upheld the decision of the Market Court;
• Rautaruukki Oyj in the comination of SSAB AB (publ) and Rautaruukki through SSAB making a recommended public share exchange offer to Rautaruukki’s shareholders. The total value of the share exchange offer amounted to SEK 10.1 billion (EUR 1.1 billion). Roschier assisted Rautaruukki in the merger control notification processes before the European Commision (and certain non-EU jurisdictions) to optain a phase 1 conditional approval;
• KWH Group in the merger of the infrastructure pipe businesses of KWH Group and Uponor Plc into a new joint venture company named Uponor Infra Ltd. The Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (FCCA) reviewed the effects of the merger in a prolonged phase 2 investigation and, irrespective of the remedies offered by the parties, proposed to the Market Court the prohibition of the transaction. The Market Court cleared the concentration with conditions closely similar to those originally proposed to the FCCA;
• Bonnier Publications in the merger control process related to a horizontal acquisition of Werner Söderström Oy (WSOY) and the add-on acquisition of Porvoon Kirjakeskus Oy.

Roschier (1986-), Partner (1993-2020), Senior Advisor since 2020
Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton /Brussels, Visiting Lawyer (1990)
Law clerk, trained at the Bench (1986)
Thompson & Knight /Dallas, Trainee (1985)

Member of the Finnish Bar Association
Member of the IBA
Member of the Legal Society of Finland
Member of Suomen Kilpailuoikeudellinen Yhdistys (Finnish Competition Law Association)
Member of Eurooppa-oikeuden yhdistys (Finnish Association of European Law)
Member of Deutsch-Nordische Juristenvereinigung
Member of the European Competition Lawyers Forum

Legal Society of Finland, Treasurer (1989-1995)
Europarättslig Tidskrift, Member of the Editorial Board
Global Competition Review, Member of the Editorial Board

“Which competition policy for the new EU Commission – A Nordic Perspective”, Co-author, Concurrences 2019

“The Implementation and Impact of the EU Antitrust Damages Directive in Finland”, Co-author, Wirtschaft und Wettbewerb 2017

“GTDT Merger Control”, Co-author, Law Business Research 2011-2019

“GTDT Cartel Regulation”, Co-author, Law Business Research 2012-2014

“Kilpailuoikeus” (“Competition Law”), Co-author, Talentum 2009

8th IBA European Corporate & Private M&A Conference, Paris, 2020

Guest lecture at MBA course on Competition Policy, Hanken School of Economics, Helsinki, 2018

Guest lecture at MBA course on Competition Policy, Hanken School of Economics, Helsinki, 2017

“Private Enforcement of Competition Law” conference, informa, London, 2016

“Advanced EU Competition Law” conference, KNect365, Brussels, 2016

Competition seminar, Talentum, Helsinki, 2015

“Kilpailuoikeudelliset vahingonkorvaukset”, Talentum 2012

”Antitrust, Competition and Trade Practice Group, European Regional meeting”, Lex Mundi, Amsterdam 2011

Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, LL.M.(1985)
University of Helsinki, LL.M. (1984)