It’s all change at the European Commission.
Teresa Ribera has taken over the stewardship of DG COMP from Margrethe Vestager, alongside a wider brief including environmental and social policy that could conflict with...more
Key competition law and digital markets aspects of the UK Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (“DMCC”), enforced by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”), came into force on 1 January 2025. You can...more
1/7/2025
/ Antitrust Investigations ,
Competition ,
Digital Marketplace ,
Digital Markets Strategy ,
Enforcement Authority ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Filing Requirements ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Threshold Requirements ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
The new European Commission, under Ursula von der Leyen for a second term, kicked off on 1 December 2024. Teresa Ribera is the new head of European Competition Policy....more
At a time of significant geopolitical challenges, many jurisdictions are looking at their investment screening regimes to ensure that they can adequately safeguard national security and public order. Within this context,...more
3/27/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Biden Administration ,
CFIUS ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
EU ,
European Economic Area (EEA) ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Foreign Investment ,
France ,
Germany ,
Greenfield Projects ,
Member State ,
Mergers ,
National Security ,
New Guidance ,
Outbound Transactions ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Sensitive Personal Information ,
Technology Sector ,
UK
2024 is shaping up to be a year of significant change in Brussels. European Parliamentary elections in June will be followed by the appointment of a new Commission in the autumn....more
1/29/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
EUMR ,
European Commission ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Foreign Subsidies ,
Gun-Jumping ,
Horizontal Mergers ,
Jurisdiction ,
Member State ,
Merger Controls ,
Merger Reviews ,
Mergers ,
Online Travel Vendors ,
Sustainability
As we reported previously, on 25 April this year the UK Government introduced the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill (“DMCC Bill”). Many of the headlines about the DMCC Bill have understandably related to the new...more
6/20/2023
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Competition Act ,
Complex Corporate Transactions ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Digital Marketplace ,
Digital Markets Strategy ,
Extraterritoriality Rules ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Threshold Requirements ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”) has published its long-awaited draft guidance on sustainability agreements between competitors (the “Draft Guidance”). In doing so, it acknowledges that collaborations...more
The European Commission has revised its state aid rules for the agricultural, forestry and fishery/aquaculture sectors. The revisions relate to:
..the Agricultural Block Exemption Regulation (ABER);
..the Fishery...more
1/25/2023
/ Agricultural Land ,
Agricultural Sector ,
Climate Change ,
Conservation ,
EU ,
Exemptions ,
Fishing Industry ,
Forestry ,
Habitat Conservation Plan ,
Real Estate Development ,
State Aid
As we enter 2023, the European Commission is redoubling its efforts to scrutinise transactions on a variety of bases. The focus has been on the digital sector for some time, but the impact of the Commission’s expanding...more
1/19/2023
/ Abuse of Dominance ,
Acquisitions ,
Competition ,
Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ,
Digital Markets Strategy ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
European Merger Control Regulation ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Foreign Subsidies ,
Gun-Jumping ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies
The Digital Markets Act (DMA), introduces stricter rules for ‘big tech’ in the EU and comes into force today, November 1 2022. The DMA forms part of the European Commission’s new package of legislation governing conduct in...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
On 16 June 2022, the UK’s Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (“BEIS”) published its first annual report into the performance of the National Security and Investment Act (“NSIA”) regime. The report - which...more
2022 is shaping up to be another year of significant merger control and foreign direct investment (“FDI”) developments. The use of Article 22 of the EU Merger Regulation (“EUMR”) might jeopardise the European Commission’s...more
1/25/2022
/ Climate Change ,
Competition Act ,
Competition Authorities ,
Digital Marketplace ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
European Merger Control Regulation ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
National Security ,
Sustainability ,
UK
The European Commission’s June 2020 White Paper outlined its initial plans for a subsidies regime. The Commission has now developed these plans in its proposals for a new regulation....more
The COVID-19 pandemic has made 2020 a difficult year for many companies looking to do deals. Competition agencies and other government regulators have in many cases slowed down their timeframes or even refused to accept...more