Clifford Chance (CC) competition partner Johan Ysewyn is to join Covington & Burling's Brussels office, after a little more than two years at the magic circle firm.

At Covington, Ysewyn will be joined by Peter Camesasca, who returns to the US-headquartered firm having spent two years leading his own practice.

Ysewyn, who advises on European Commission, international and Belgian competition law, was previously at Linklaters until 2011 before joining CC.

Formerly head of Linklaters' Belgian antitrust practice and co-head of the firm's global cartel group, Ysewyn will head Covington's European competition practice.

Clients of Covington's EU competition group include AstraZeneca, Expedia, Microsoft and Samsung.

Camesasca has experience of advising US and EU clients across a diverse range of sectors, including the aviation, transport, chemicals and pharmaceuticals and electronics industries.

Thomas Barnett and Deborah Garza, the chairs of Covington's global antitrust and competition practice called the pair "two of the most impressive practitioners in Brussels today", while the office managing partner Peter Bogaert said the hires were "a watershed moment" for the EU competition team.

In other European competition news, Allen & Overy partner Martin Bechtold has joined King & Wood Mallesons SJ Berwin's Frankfurt office.

Bechtold, who will work alongside Munich-based German competition head Tilman Siebert at his new firm, was also previously at CC for almost 20 years, latterly at the firm's Brussels office.

KWM competition head Simon Holmes said the move was a sign of the "growth and ambition" of the firm's EU, competition and regulatory department, which has doubled its partner headcount in the last two years.