On 6 July 2017, the European Commission (“Commission”) announced it had opened three investigations against companies which have allegedly breached the European Union (“EU”) merger procedural rules.
Two of the cases...more
On 10 May 2017, the European Commission (“Commission”) published its final report (“Report”) concluding a wide-ranging two-year long inquiry into e-commerce (“Inquiry”). During the Inquiry – which was conceived as part of the...more
7/7/2017
/ Capital Markets Union ,
Central Counterparties ,
Competition ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Digital Single Market ,
E-Commerce ,
EMIR ,
EU ,
EU Passenger Name Record (PNR) ,
European Commission ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Geo-Blocking ,
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) ,
Member State
On May 15, 2017, the European Commission (“Commission”) announced it had opened a formal investigation into a global pharmaceutical company for possible abuse of dominant position. The alleged conduct of the company,...more
6/13/2017
/ Canada ,
CETA ,
Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ,
EMIR ,
EU ,
EUMR ,
European Commission ,
Financial Stability Board ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
Mergers ,
UK ,
UK Brexit
On 16 March, the European Commission (“Commission”) announced it had launched a new tool in its fight against cartels and other anti-competitive practices. The Commission unveiled a new whistleblowing tool, which would allow...more
The European Commission’s action plan builds on the results of its green paper on retail financial services published for public consultation in December 2015.
In the framework of the Capital Markets Union (CMU)...more
On 13 March 2017, it was announced that a United States (“U.S.”) chipmaker will acquire an autonomous vehicle technology company based in Israel for approximately USD 15.3 billion. This transaction may provide an interesting...more
On 8 February 2017, the Commission announced it had imposed fines totaling almost EUR 68 million on three companies for participating in a cartel to fix purchase prices of scrap lead-acid automotive batteries.
The cartel...more
On 1 January 2017, the torch of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union (“EU”) was passed from Slovakia to Malta. The Presidency rotates every six months between the EU Member States, but continuity is guaranteed...more
2/6/2017
/ Brussels Regulation ,
Capital Markets Union ,
Cybersecurity ,
Digital Single Market ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
FSB ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
Member State ,
Mergers ,
UK
January will bring some important changes in the internal composition and current leadership of the European Parliament (“EP”). Such changes are expected to shake the EP’s internal life, even without a shift in the general...more
12/21/2016
/ Abuse of Dominance ,
Banking Sector ,
Brussels Convention ,
Capital Markets ,
Competition ,
Cybersecurity ,
EU ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
Member State ,
TLAC ,
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)
The European Commission (“Commission”) has recently published statistics concerning the European Union (“EU”) merger control review process. Typically, the Commission examines larger mergers with an EU dimension, meaning that...more
11/23/2016
/ Broadcasting ,
Capital Markets Union ,
CETA ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
European Court of Justice (ECJ) ,
European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) ,
Member State ,
Merger Controls ,
NCAs ,
Online Platforms ,
Regulation Technical Standards (RTS) ,
Telecommunications ,
TLAC ,
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) ,
TTIP
It is hard to overstate the political and policy parallels between the recent UK “Brexit” vote to leave the European Union (“EU”) and the pending U.S. presidential election. Both cases reflect the significant tensions...more
The European Commission (“Commission”) has recently imposed a record fine of EUR 2.93 billion on some of the largest truck producers for their involvement in a cartel lasting 14 years and covering the entire European Economic...more
Antitrust and competition -
A welcome limitation on the investigatory powers of the Commission when requesting information from companies - On 10 March 2016, the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) set aside...more
4/22/2016
/ Air Carriers ,
Article 29 Working Party (WP29) ,
Belgium ,
Cartels ,
CFTC ,
Construction Industry ,
Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ,
Cross-Border ,
Data Collection ,
Data Protection ,
Data Protection Authority ,
Digital Media ,
Energy Sector ,
EU ,
EU-US Privacy Shield ,
European Commission ,
International Data Transfers ,
Leniency Programs ,
Liquid Natural Gas ,
Member State ,
MiFID II ,
MiFIR ,
Oil & Gas ,
Request For Information ,
Tax Avoidance ,
Terrorist Threats ,
US-EU Safe Harbor Framework
This policy insight highlights some of the key political issues relating to the United Kingdom’s (UK) imminent referendum to decide whether to withdraw from the European Union (EU).
After weeks of discussions and...more
Since the Action Plan for a Capital Markets Union (“CMU”) was launched on 30 September 2015, the European Commission (“the Commission”) has initiated a number of CMU initiatives. Notably, building on the CMU’s initial...more
The Court of Justice of the European Union (‘CJEU’) has recently clarified how participation in cartels can be presumed under EU competition rules. An online booking system used for package holidays had sent to travel agents...more
2/19/2016
/ Banks ,
Breach Notification Rule ,
Capital Markets Union ,
Cartels ,
Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ,
Data Protection Authority ,
EU ,
Italy ,
Loans ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Unfair Competition
On February 10, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and the European Commission (“EC”) announced a much-anticipated transatlantic agreement to harmonize European Union (“EU”) and U.S. regulations concerning...more
On 11 September, TeliaSonera and Telenor have abandoned the proposed merger of their business units in Denmark. The contemplated transaction would have resulted in the establishment of a joint venture active in the provision...more
11/2/2015
/ Binding Corporate Rules ,
Biofuel ,
Broadband ,
Capital Markets Union ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Protection Authority ,
Denmark ,
Diesel Fuel ,
Digital Media ,
Edward Snowden ,
Energy Sector ,
EU Data Protection Laws ,
European Commission ,
European Court of Justice (ECJ) ,
Facebook ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Germany ,
International Data Transfers ,
Investment ,
Ireland ,
Merger Agreements ,
National Security Agency (NSA) ,
Oil & Gas ,
Personal Data ,
Privacy Laws ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Right to Privacy ,
Safe Harbors ,
Schrems I & Schrems II ,
Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) ,
Standard Contractual Clauses ,
Startups ,
Telecommunications ,
Umbrella Agreement ,
Unfair Competition ,
Unfair Pricing ,
US-EU Safe Harbor Framework ,
Wireless Industry
On 30 September, the European Commission released its Action Plan for a Capital Markets Union (the “Action Plan”). The Capital Markets Union (“CMU”) is one of the key elements of the broader Investment Plan for Europe...more
10/8/2015
/ Capital Markets ,
Capital Markets Union ,
Crowdfunding ,
Economic Action Plan ,
ELTIF ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
EuVECA ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financing ,
Innovation ,
Investment ,
Investment Funds ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Securitization ,
Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) ,
Solvency II ,
Startups
The 2008 credit crisis was the beginning of an era of unprecedented government management of the capital markets. July 21, 2015 marked the fifth anniversary of the hallmark congressional response, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street...more
8/19/2015
/ Capital Markets ,
Capital Markets Union ,
CFTC ,
Clawbacks ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Derivatives ,
Dodd-Frank ,
EU ,
EURIBOR ,
European Commission ,
Executive Compensation ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
FSB ,
FSOC ,
G-SIFI ,
Incentive Compensation ,
Investors ,
IOSCO ,
Libor ,
Liquidity Coverage Ratio ,
Nonbank Firms ,
Obama Administration ,
Over The Counter Derivatives (OTC) ,
Popular ,
Proxy Access Rule ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Security-Based Swaps
Antitrust and Competition -
European Court Confirms Commission’s Jurisdiction for Fighting International Cartels
On 9 July 2015, the Court of Justice of the European Union (‘CJEU’) upheld the EUR 288 million fine...more
8/6/2015
/ Cable Television Providers ,
Digital Single Market ,
DSM ,
Emissions Trading System ,
Energy Sector ,
European Court of Justice (ECJ) ,
Film Industry ,
Greece ,
IAEA ,
Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) ,
Iran ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
LCD Panels ,
Nuclear Weapons ,
P5+1 Nations ,
Price-Fixing ,
Taiwan ,
Telecommunications ,
Trade Promotion Authority ,
TTIP ,
Unfair Competition
This is the first in a series of monthly EU regulatory briefs - summarising key regulatory developments across a number of sectors in the EU.
Antitrust and Competition -
The European Commission launches an...more
The European Commission’s Action Plan for Fair and Efficient Corporate Taxation in the EU sets out proposals aimed at making corporate taxation in the EU more transparent and efficient, by reforming a system which is seen as...more
The European Commission’s new Better Regulation Agenda creates new opportunities for industry involvement in influencing draft legislation and strengthens the role of business and civil society in the preparation and review...more