In FY 2024/25, UK merger control underwent significant changes, including important statutory amendments, updates to the Competition and Market Authority’s (CMA) rules and an apparent shift in focus when reviewing mergers to...more
6/12/2025
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Competition ,
Economic Development ,
Joint Venture ,
Merger Controls ,
Merger Reviews ,
Partnerships ,
Popular ,
Technology Sector ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
This client alert offers a comprehensive overview of European merger control throughout 2024. Covering the key developments from 2024 that companies contemplating M&A transactions should be aware of if these will impact the...more
At the end of 2020, the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) signed the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), which both parties then ratified in 2021. As to antitrust cooperation, the agreement emphasized...more
11/14/2024
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Competition Authorities ,
Cooperation Agreement ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Member State ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
OECD ,
Trade Agreements ,
Trade Relations ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
As already outlined in last year’s overview, since the enactment of EU Directive 2014/104 (‘Damages Directive’), private enforcement of EU competition law in the EU has continued to develop at an impressive pace. Putting...more
On July 23, the European Commission, US Department of Justice, US Federal Trade Commission, and UK Competition and Markets Authority released a joint statement setting out shared principles on competition in markets that...more
7/26/2024
/ Algorithms ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Competition ,
Data Collection ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Innovative Technology ,
Joint Policy Statements ,
Machine Learning ,
Personal Data ,
Technology Sector ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
On February 8, 2024, the European Commission (Commission) adopted its revised Market Definition Notice (Notice), replacing a version that was nearly 30 years old. The Notice is not binding, but it provides guidance on how the...more
2023 saw some very significant decisions, investigations, court judgments and legislative developments in European Union merger control.eu
...more
The EU’s Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) was adopted in late 2022. Its stated aim is to combat the effects of competitive distortions caused by foreign subsidies in the EU internal market and thereby level the playing...more
8/9/2023
/ Competition ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
European Merger Control Regulation ,
Foreign Subsidies ,
Member State ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
New Regulations ,
Public Procurement Policies ,
State Aid ,
State-Owned Enterprises ,
Threshold Requirements
On June 1, 2023, the European Commission (EC) adopted revised Horizontal Guidelines (HGs) and two updated block exemption regulations (BERs) on research and development (R&D) and “specialisation” agreements. These materials...more
7/31/2023
/ Competition ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Guidance Update ,
Horizontal Merger Guidelines ,
Horizontal Mergers ,
Joint Venture ,
Purchase Agreement ,
Research and Development ,
Safe Harbors ,
Sustainability ,
V-BER (Vertical Block Exemption Regulation)
On 25 April 2023, the UK government published the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill (“Bill”). Before the Bill becomes law, both Houses of Parliament will need to approve it and amendments are likely....more
5/5/2023
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Digital Marketplace ,
Digital Markets Strategy ,
EU ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Pending Legislation ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
On April 8, 2020 the European Commission (the ‘EC’) published a temporary antitrust framework for assessing business cooperation to ensure the supply of “essential scarce products and services” during the COVID-19 outbreak...more
The European Competition Network of the 27 EU Member State Antitrust Authorities (the ‘ECN’), several individual EU Member State antitrust authorities, the UK’s antitrust authority and Norway’s government have issued...more