Overview -
- The European Court of Justice (CJEU) brought back to life an old theory which allows acquisitions, which fall below EU and national merger control thresholds, to be challenged post-completion under abuse of...more
The EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) entered into force on 12 January 2023. It represents a massive expansion in the European Commission’s power to investigate inward investment to the EU. This new regulation—the first...more
Will 2022 be seen as the year in which the gates finally opened for damages claims in the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT)?...more
Quick Read -
- The EU’s jurisdiction to review mergers is no longer linked to notification. This is a big change and sharply reduces parties’ ability to predict antitrust hurdles to closing based on notification thresholds....more
On 18 May 2022, the European General Court rejected Canon’s appeal against a €28 million fine imposed by the European Commission in 2019 for its breach of EU gun-jumping rules, just a few months after a similar judgment,...more
On 26 January 2022 the General Court (GC) issued its latest judgment in the Intel case, faulting fundamental aspects of the Commission’s original decision almost 13 years prior. The judgment’s findings are promising for...more
The recent decision of the English Court of Appeal in NTN Corporation v. Stellantis concerned an appeal against a successful application to strike out an off-setting defence to a competition damages claim. It is an important...more
On September 24, 2020 the European Commission (EC) launched proposals for a new EU-wide regime to regulate crypto-assets and distributed ledger technology (DLT) in the financial sector through a Digital Finance Package. Key...more
Holds Findings Made by European Courts Cannot Be Relied on in Different Context in Other Proceedings -
On November 6, 2020 the U.K. Supreme Court handed down a judgment relating to the Servier U.K. competition damages...more
On 11 November 2020, the U.K. Government announced long-awaited and extensive reforms to the U.K. foreign investment regime.
The reforms proposed are more significant than anticipated and include a mandatory notification...more
In her first speech upon being reappointed as Competition Commissioner, Commissioner Vestager announced that a review would be undertaken of the Commission’s Market Definition Notice (the “Notice”); the consultation on that...more
10/12/2020
/ Antitrust Investigations ,
Antitrust Litigation ,
EU ,
EU Merger Directive ,
European Commission ,
European Merger Control Regulation ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
The U.K. Supreme Court has handed victory to a group of British retailers (the “respondents”) in a long-running dispute with Mastercard and Visa Europe (the “appellants”) finding that the default “multilateral interchange...more
On June 17, 2020, the European Commission published its highly anticipated White Paper detailing its “anti-subsidy tool,” aimed at rectifying supposed distortions in the EU caused by foreign subsidies. Stakeholders have until...more
Under the leadership of Margrethe Vestager, the European Commission has taken an increasing interventionist stand across all areas of antitrust enforcement, in particular in merger control. The EU’s General Court dealt that...more
Global foreign direct investment (FDI) amounted to 1,426 billion USD in 2019. In recent years, a number of countries around the world have implemented measures to strengthen their FDI review mechanisms. Undoubtedly, this...more
The English Courts will continue this year to consider several issues that will shape the future of private damages actions for infringements of competition law....more
Although the EU’s introduction of a Temporary Framework has enabled governments to offer extensive State-backed loans, the airline industry needs more than just credit—it will need equity. However, State aid to the aviation...more
Key Points -
- Although Brussels has no power to approve or block FDI, the European Commission is urging a tightening of policy across the block.
- The Commission is signaling that it is responsive to calls for a more...more
The first wave of discussion about the impact of COVID-19 on EU merger control was very much on the practical and procedural. What, impact if any, will the response to this crisis have on the substantive assessment of mergers...more
How will European Competition Enforcers Respond?
The COVID-19 pandemic presents an unprecedented challenge to the economy and competition enforcement is no exception. Authorities at EU and national level may need to...more
3/21/2020
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Competition Authorities ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Mergers ,
Premerger Notifications ,
State Aid ,
State of Emergency ,
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)
On 24 September 2019, the EU General Court (GC) handed down its judgment in HSBC v. Commission. Consistent with recent precedent, the GC reaffirmed the European Commission (“Commission”)’s duty to provide sufficient reasons...more
9/27/2019
/ Annulment ,
Cartels ,
Derivatives ,
EURIBOR ,
European Commission ,
Evidentiary Standards ,
HSBC ,
Infringement ,
Interest Rates ,
Settlement ,
Statement of Objection (SO)
Welcome to the 2019 Shearman & Sterling Antitrust Annual Report.
Our seventh edition focuses on the contrasting use by regulators of antitrust laws with respect to the FANGs, and how antitrust is being enforced in the U.S....more
7/24/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Antitrust Litigation ,
Competition ,
Competition Authorities ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Criminal Liability ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Marketplace ,
Digital Media ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
Extraterritoriality Rules ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FinTech ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Leniency Programs ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
No-Poaching ,
Recruitment Policies ,
State Aid ,
Trump Administration ,
UK Brexit
Advocate General Wathelet has issued his opinion in the Eesti Pagar preliminary ruling, which if followed could have significant implications for Member States, national authorities and beneficiaries of State aid. Wathelet’s...more
The European Commission (EC) and other national competition authorities (NCAs) have traditionally shied away from investigating allegations of excessive pricing and appearing as price regulators. Commissioner Vestager warned...more
4/26/2018
/ Abuse of Dominance ,
Actavis Inc. ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ,
EU ,
Excessive Pricing ,
Hoffman LaRoche ,
Merck ,
Pay-For-Delay ,
Pfizer ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Pricing ,
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) ,
UK ,
UK Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT)
In perhaps the most hotly anticipated judgment in the European competition law world this year, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) handed down its landmark ruling on September 6, 2017 in Intel’s appeal against...more
4/26/2018
/ Abuse of Dominance ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Litigation ,
Appeals ,
Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Intel ,
Rebates ,
Rebuttable Presumptions ,
Rules of Civil Procedure