Macedonian Thrace Brewery: Dutch Supreme Court Rejects Heineken Appeal in Follow-On Competition Damages Case Linked to Greek Beer Market Abuse

• Dutch Supreme Court rejects Heineken’s jurisdiction appeal in long-running MTB litigation
• Ruling clears the way for the Amsterdam proceedings to move towards a final damages ruling this summer

AMSTERDAM--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Dutch Supreme Court last week rejected an appeal on jurisdiction by Heineken and its Greek subsidiary Athenian Brewery in a long-running damages claim brought by Macedonian Thrace Brewery (“MTB”), producer of the popular Greek beer Vergina.

The case stems from a 2015 decision of the Hellenic Competition Commission (“HCC”) which found that Athenian Brewery had abused its dominant position in the Greek beer market for at least 16 years in order to exclude competitors, including MTB.

Heineken and Athenian Brewery have repeatedly challenged the jurisdiction of the Dutch courts, arguing that claims against Athenian Brewery should not be heard in the Netherlands. Last week’s ruling confirmed that the Dutch courts were correct to accept jurisdiction over claims against Heineken’s Greek subsidiary arising from its anti-competitive conduct in Greece, fully in line with MTB’s position from the outset. The decision follows a referral and preliminary ruling by the European Court of Justice (“ECJ”) in February 2025.

The Supreme Court ruling clears the way in the main proceedings for the Amsterdam District Court to issue its final decision on damages which is expected this summer.

The interim judgment from the District Court is available at https://deeplink.rechtspraak.nl/uitspraak?id=ECLI:NL:RBAMS:2026:1692.