The Development: On January 24, 2024, the European Commission ("EC") unveiled a package of five fresh initiatives aimed at strengthening the European Union's ("EU") economic security (the "Package"). This will likely increase...more
The Council of Europe and the European Parliament announced on December 14, 2023, that they reached a political agreement on the text of the upcoming European Union ("EU") Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive...more
The Development: The Screening of Third Country Transactions Act 2023 (the "STCT Act") was signed into law on October 31, 2023, introducing a new investment screening regime in the Republic of Ireland ("Ireland") with a...more
On October 3, 2023, the European Commission ("Commission") unveiled a list of 10 technology areas qualified as "critical" to the European Union's ("EU") economic security, out of which four (Semiconductors, AI, Quantum...more
10/17/2023
/ 5G Network ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Biotechnology ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cybersecurity ,
Economic Reform ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Export Controls ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Foreign Investment ,
Investment Controls ,
Risk Assessment ,
Semiconductors
In Short -
The Background: Luxembourg has introduced a new foreign direct investment regime with a suspensory mandatory notification requirement in relation to investments in a broad range of sectors....more
In Short -
The Situation: On July 13, 2023, the European Court of Justice ("ECJ") issued a judgment (Case C-106/22 - Xella) clarifying the conditions under which EU Member States may screen and block foreign direct...more
In Short -
The Development: The new Belgian foreign direct investment screening law ("FDI Regime") imposes preclosing filing requirements on non-EU investments into various industry sectors in Belgium, including energy,...more
In Short -
The Situation: The European Union ("EU") has adopted a new regulation designed to tackle deforestation and forest degradation in the EU and globally by preventing European citizens from buying, using, and...more
In Short -
The Development: The European Commission ("EC") has published highly anticipated draft guidelines ("Draft Guidelines") detailing a new antitrust exemption for agreements in the agriculture and food supply chain...more
In Short -
The Situation: The European Commission ("EC") is expected to release guidelines regarding a newly introduced exemption to the EU antitrust rules for certain agreements aimed at achieving the EU's sustainability...more
The EC recently found that Hungary's veto of Vienna Insurance Group's ("VIG") acquisition of the Hungarian subsidiaries of the AEGON Group, an insurance, pension fund, and asset management company, breached EU merger control...more
The EU General Court ("GC") annulled the European Commission's €1.06 billion antitrust fine imposed on Intel in 2009 for allegedly abusing its dominant position in x86 Central Processing Units ("CPUs") by offering loyalty...more
1/27/2022
/ Abuse of Dominance ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Intel ,
Technology Sector
The Background: The European Commission ("Commission") recently unveiled long-awaited draft revisions to its Vertical Block Exemption Regulation ("VBER") and Vertical Guidelines. The VBER includes safe harbors that exempt...more
8/12/2021
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Corporate Counsel ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
International Trade ,
Most-Favored Nations ,
Safe Harbors ,
Sales & Distribution Agreements ,
Supply Chain ,
V-BER (Vertical Block Exemption Regulation)
New law regulates commercial dealings between suppliers and comparatively larger buyers of food and agricultural products.
Germany passed a new law, Agrarorganisationen-und-Lieferketten-Gesetz ("AgrarOLkG"), the...more
Private enforcement actions relating to antitrust matters has increased dramatically across Europe in recent years, both as follow-on damages claims in reaction to governmental enforcement actions, or as standalone...more
The lowered threshold for foreign direct investments into France will apply to non-EU and non-EEA investors or to any investor fiscally domiciled outside the European Union and European Economic Area.
On July 23, 2020,...more
7/27/2020
/ EU ,
European Economic Area (EEA) ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Foreign Investment ,
France ,
French Commercial Code ,
Investors ,
National Security ,
New Regulations ,
Threshold Requirements ,
Voting Rights
One effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has been to accelerate the implementation of new or stricter controls on inward-bound foreign direct investment activity ("FDI"), particularly in the European Union. For example, in March...more
Proposed retroactive application could expose investments made as from June 2, 2020, to ex post scrutiny.
On June 2, 2020, the Dutch Government ("Government") announced that it plans to apply a proposed comprehensive...more
On May 20, 2020, the German Federal government adopted the 15th amendment to the Foreign Trade and Payments Ordinance (AWV). The changes to the AWV will be effective shortly, after publication in the Federal Gazette....more
Over the past few years, Germany has strengthened the AWV regime. In parallel, the relevance of Germany's foreign direct investment control investigations for M&A transactions involving non-EU investors has grown. Even...more
On 21 March 2019, Regulation (EU) 2019/452 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 March 2019 establishing a framework for the screening of foreign direct investments into the Union ("FDI Regulation") was...more
Germany has two different sets of rules for the review of foreign direct investments. The relevant ordinance, the Außenwirtschaftsverordnung, or AWV, provides for a sector-specific review process applying to the acquisition,...more
3/25/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
AWG/AWV Rules ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Defense Sector ,
EU ,
Filing Requirements ,
Foreign Corporations ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Foreign Investment ,
Germany ,
Investors ,
National Security ,
New Legislation ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Safe Harbors ,
Technology Sector ,
Threshold Requirements
The German government lowered the threshold for acquisitions of German companies by non-EU and non-European Free Trade Association ("EFTA") acquirers.
Germany has expanded its powers to block takeovers of German companies...more
12/26/2018
/ Acquisitions ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
EFTA ,
EU ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Foreign Investment ,
Germany ,
Member State ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Threshold Requirements
The Situation: Germany prevented State Grid Corporation of China ("SGCC") from acquiring a 20 percent minority stake in 50Hertz, one of Germany's four providers of high-voltage transmission systems, as well as the acquisition...more
8/10/2018
/ Acquisitions ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Cross-Border ,
EU ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Foreign Investment ,
France ,
Germany ,
Mergers ,
National Security ,
UK
The Background: In September 2017, the European Court of Justice (Case C-413/14 P) reversed the ruling of the General Court, which had upheld the European Commission's €1.06 billion fine on Intel for abusing its dominant...more
9/21/2017
/ Abuse of Dominance ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Appeals ,
Burden of Proof ,
Competition Authorities ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
European Court of Justice (ECJ) ,
Intel ,
Rebates ,
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)