Like in the United States, competition enforcement in Europe is in flux. The European Commission has appointed new leadership (Teresa Ribera) and set new policy directives. While one could not be blamed for focusing all...more
Antitrust and Competition - The French Competition Authority Launches Public Consultation Addressing Below-Threshold Transactions - On 14 January 2025, the French Competition Authority (Autorité de la concurrence, FCA)...more
1. CONTENTIEUX - NOUVEAU RISQUE DE REMISE EN CAUSE À POSTERIORI D’OPÉRATIONS NON NOTIFIABLES - Par une décision du 2 mai 2024, l’Autorité de la concurrence (ci-après l’ « Autorité ») a fait pour la première fois...more
This newsletter is a summary of the antitrust developments we think are most interesting to your business. David Higbee (Global Head of Antitrust) and Dominic Long (Global Deputy Head of Antitrust) are our editors this month....more
In a significant development for French merger control, on May 2, 2024 the French Competition Authority applied the jurisprudence laid down in the recent Towercast case to an alleged anti-competitive agreement matter in the...more
The European Commission (EC) has published its latest report on competition enforcement in medicines and medical products. Key takeaways are that: EU and Member State authorities imposed multiple material antitrust...more
On 16 March 2023, the ECJ published its judgment in Towercast (C-449/21), confirming that Article 102 TFEU (which prohibits abuses of a dominant market position) may apply to transactions which fall below national and EU...more
In 2022, the French Competition Authority (the "FCA") maintained a high level of activity, focusing notably on digital markets, which remain one of its key priorities. Last year also brought the first successful failing firm...more
UNIQUE GUN-JUMPING CASE SANCTIONED BY FRENCH COMPETITION AUTHORITY - A new European gun-jumping decision, following the European Court of Justice 2022 Marine Harvest judgment, sends a very strong message to companies that...more
The EU General Court (“General Court”) has confirmed that the European Commission (“Commission”) can examine deals that do not trigger merger control thresholds in the EU or any EEA Member State[1] following a referral...more
On the 13 July 2022, the General Court upheld the European Commission’s decision to accept a referral from Member States under Article 22 of the EU Regulation n°139/2004 on merger control (“EUMR”) to review a deal that fell...more
The French Competition Authority ("FCA") fines a company for gun-jumping in a case relating to a progressive takeover and de facto control - On 12 April 2022, the FCA fined the Compagnie Financière Européenne de Prises de...more
Par une décision en date du 12 avril 2022, l’Autorité de la concurrence (l’« Autorité ») a sanctionné la Compagnie Financière Européenne de Prises de Participation (la « Cofepp ») à hauteur de 7 millions d’euros, pour avoir...more
The European Commission ("EC") is shifting its approach with respect to the referral mechanism under Article 22 of the EU Merger Regulation 139/2004 (the "EUMR") and now – at least in certain circumstances – encourages...more
At a time when the European Union and many Member States have just unveiled their hydrogen strategy, the French Competition Authority takes the lead in delivering the very first analysis of the emerging hydrogen sector in a...more
This Newsletter of the Competition and Distribution team of BCLP's Paris office features some of the key developments of the last quarter. In this newsletter: ..To enable national authorities to better apprehend killer...more
Antitrust regulators in the United States and Europe were very active in the final quarter of 2019. The FTC and DOJ continue to investigate and challenge M&A transactions in a variety of industries. Events of this quarter...more
United States: July - September 2019 Update - The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Justice (DOJ) continue an active docket challenging M&A transactions. DOJ is resolving antitrust reviews significantly...more
The US agencies continue to be aggressive and have blocked transactions or required significant remedies during the second quarter. The agencies cleared three mergers where divestitures were required. In the face of Federal...more
We have followed over the last years Europe grappling with the issue of most favoured nation clauses and hotel booking. Our last update regarded a joint monitoring project between the CMA and the European Commission, designed...more
The question of how "big data" should be treated in merger control and antitrust enforcement was a key issue for the European Commission and national regulators in European Union member states in 2016, with competition...more
McDermott’s Antitrust M&A Snapshot is a resource for in-house counsel and others who deal with antitrust M&A issues but are not faced with these issues on a daily basis. In each quarterly issue, we will provide concise...more
On May 10, 2016, the French Competition Authority and German Federal Cartel Office published “Competition Law and Data,” a joint report on big data and its implications for competition law. The paper identifies issues that...more