The Situation: The European Parliament and Council approved the Gigabit Infrastructure Act ("GIA") on 29 April 2024. The GIA replaces Directive 2014/61/EU. The GIA is a regulation which is directly applicable and binding in...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 Development: The Court of Justice of the European Union ("ECJ") annulled a General Court ("GC") ruling that had adopted a high standard of proof for the European Commission ("EC") to block transactions in...more
8/15/2023
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Corporate Counsel ,
EU ,
EU Merger Directive ,
European Commission ,
European Court of Justice (ECJ) ,
Horizontal Mergers ,
Judicial Review ,
Merger Controls ,
UK
In Short -
The Situation: On 27 March 2023, the European Commission ("Commission") published a Communication amending its 2008 Guidance on enforcement priorities concerning exclusionary abuses ("amended 2008 Guidance...more
In Short -
The Situation: The European Commission has presented three initiatives to transform the connectivity sector on 23 February 2023 (the "Connectivity Package")....more
On September 15, 2022, the European Commission ("EU") published a proposal for a Cyber Resilience Act, the first EU-wide legislation introducing a single set of cybersecurity rules for hardware and software products placed in...more
The European Parliament ("EP") and Council formally adopted the Digital Markets Act ("DMA") in July 2022, imposing new behavioral obligations on large digital platforms qualifying as "gatekeepers." The final agreement...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
Background -
Recent supply disruptions in the semiconductor industry have highlighted the dependence of many global economies, including the EU, on imported chips manufactured in Asia....more
3/8/2022
/ Business Disruption ,
Competition ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Domestic Industry Requirement ,
Economic Development ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Global Economy ,
Imports ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Infrastructure ,
Innovative Technology ,
Manufacturing Facilities ,
Microchip Technology ,
Public Funds ,
Semiconductors ,
Supply Chain ,
Supply Shortages
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 Development: The European Commission ("EC") recently released two long-awaited legislative proposals, the Digital Services Act ("DSA") and Digital Markets Act ("DMA"), that would significantly increase the EC's regulatory...more
The EU General Court ruled that the Commission must demonstrate with a "strong probability" that the effect on competition is "significant" to block a merger that does not create a dominant company.
In a rare judgment, the...more
The European Commission recently launched two consultations that would expand its investigative powers and establish regulations for digital platforms. The Commission intends to close perceived gaps in its authority to remedy...more
In January 2020, the European Commission endorsed the Toolbox of mitigating measures agreed by the Member States of the European Union to address security risks related to the rollout of 5G. The protection of national...more
This week, the European Commission published white papers detailing its strategies regarding the use of data and artificial intelligence ("AI"). Several additional reports accompany the white papers and cover topics such as...more
The Development: For the first time in nearly two decades, the European Commission ("Commission") plans to impose "interim measures" to remedy perceived competition issues even though its antitrust investigation has not...more
Whistleblowers who expose breaches of European Union law will be afforded greater protection from retaliation by companies and public authorities under a draft law proposed by the European Commission in April 2018. The draft...more
4/27/2018
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Corporate Governance ,
Data Protection ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
Sarbanes-Oxley ,
Trade Secrets ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers ,
White Collar Crimes
The Situation: The second EU Payment Services Directive requires banks to give third-party payment service providers ("TPPs") access to the bank accounts of their customers (with their consent), in order to enable TPPs to...more
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)
September 2017 What happened? Last week the European Court of Justice ("ECJ") set aside a General Court ruling that had upheld a €1.06 billion fine imposed by the European Commission on Intel for abusing its dominant position...more
9/11/2017
/ Abuse of Dominance ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Appeals ,
Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
European Commission ,
European Court of Justice (ECJ) ,
Exclusive Dealing Agreements ,
Intel ,
Pricing ,
Rebates ,
Set-Asides ,
Standard of Review