The Belgian state owns 53.51% of the shares of incumbent telecommunications company Proximus, formerly Belgacom.

It is reported that Belgium does not mandate functional or accounting separation for operators with significant market power (SMP) in the telecom market.

It is reported that the Belgian Institute for Postal Services and Telecommunications, the executive authority for the supervision and administration of services in the telecommunications sector, is independent from the government in the decision-making process.

All incoming and outgoing invoices must be stored on Belgian territory for seven years. However, invoices which are stored electronically and which guarantee full online access to the data concerned in Belgium may be stored in another Member State of the European Union on condition that the fiscal administration is informed of this in advance (Art. 60 of the VAT Code). Moreover, taxpayers who are not established in Belgium must provide a Belgian address to the authorities where books, (copies of) invoices and other documents can be provided upon the request of the authorities (Art. 61, § 1 of the VAT Code). This also applies to digital documents.

Arts. 315 and 315 bis of the Income Tax Code require that the books and records necessary to determine the amount of taxable income must be kept by companies for seven years following the taxable period. The documentation must be kept in the taxpayer's professional or private premises where the administration can carry out the necessary inspection.

In March 2023, Belgium banned TikTok from all federal government work devices, citing concerns over cybersecurity, privacy, and misinformation. According to the Prime Minister, the decision was based on warnings from the national security council regarding the risks associated with TikTok's data collection practices and the company's obligation to cooperate with Chinese intelligence services. In response, TikTok expressed disappointment, stating that the ban was implemented without citing specific security concerns or consulting the company.

Art. 85 of the Utilities Directive (2014/25/EU) contains provisions allowing contracting public entities to reject foreign goods not covered by any EU international commitments from its tender procedures. In these cases, a tender submitted for the award of a supply contract may be rejected where the proportion of the products originating in third countries exceeds 50% of the total value of the products constituting the tender (Art. 85.2). Additionally, in cases of equivalent offers, the provisions provide for a preference for European tenders and tenders covered by EU's international obligations. In practice, this possibility has rarely been used.
The Public Procurement Act transposes the Utilities Directive into law. Where two or more bids are equivalent under the award criteria of Art. 81, preference is given to those bids that do not contain more than 50% of products from third countries (Art. 61). However, tenders with at least 50% of products from third countries are allowed when competing tenders require equipment with technical characteristics that differ from those of the contracting public authority and which could result in incompatibility or disproportionate costs.

The regulatory environment does not impose control limits on foreign companies. The country does not have a specific investment law, however investment is regulated within the framework of the Belgian Companies and Associations Code (the "BCCA"), enacted by the Belgian parliament in February 2019.

In November 2022, the Belgian federal and regional governments formalised a cooperation agreement to establish a screening mechanism for foreign direct investment (FDI), which was implemented in July 2023. Subsequently, in May 2023, the Federal Public Service of Economy released draft guidelines to elucidate the scope and procedural framework of this FDI screening mechanism in Belgium. According to these guidelines, the regime is applicable to FDI, which may affect national security, public order, or the strategic interests of Belgium and its federated entities. Under this mandatory regime, strategic non-EU investors are required to notify and obtain prior approval for FDI projects, with the potential for ex officio assessments up to two years post-transaction. The regime encompasses various types of investments, including transactions that result in the acquisition of at least 25% of voting rights in a Belgian target company engaged in critical infrastructures, digital infrastructures, media, data processing or storage, as well as investments in technologies and raw materials essential for strategic sectors such as AI, robotics, semiconductors, cybersecurity, aerospace, defence, energy storage, quantum and nuclear technologies, and nanotechnologies.

The Cabinet Decision Amending the Law of 21 March 1991 on the Reform of Certain Public Economic Enterprises made it possible for private investors to invest in telecom provider Proximus to the extent that the government's stake could fall below 50%+1 share with a resolution approved by the Council of Ministers. This is also explicitly mentioned in Art. 54/6 of the Law of 21 March 1991 on the reform of certain public economic enterprises. Although private, including foreign, investment in Proximus is possible, the government screens the investment guided by the strategic importance of a stake in the company concerned, the need for Belgian anchoring, the essential contribution that the company can make to the pursuit of sustainable economic growth, its social usefulness and its impact on employment.

The Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU provides an updated framework aimed at encouraging online sales. The Directive has been implemented by the Federal Act of 8 March 1979, Establishing Provisions for the Protection of Consumers (Consumer Protection Law).

Austria has not signed the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts.

Austria has not adopted national legislation based on or influenced by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Commerce.