The EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation took effect on 12 July 2023 to much fanfare. We take a look at the top five things PE funds need to know when considering acquisitions with a European footprint.
The Foreign Subsidies...more
The adopted FSR Implementing Regulation contains important changes compared to the draft published in February 2023. The focus of the FSR filings for M&A deals and public tenders in the EU will be on companies' foreign...more
The fact that the European Commission (EC) classified resale price maintenance as a hardcore restriction under its Vertical Block Exemption Regulation does not mean that it automatically violates EU competition law as a "by...more
On 6 February 2023, the European Commission launched a four-week public consultation on the draft Implementing Regulation on proceedings under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR). Whilst the Commission has made an effort...more
On 28 November 2022, the EU adopted the Foreign Subsidies Regulation, giving the European Commission powers to intervene to tackle foreign subsidies distorting competition in the EU internal market. The FSR, due to apply by...more
On 13 July 2022, the General Court of the European Union confirmed the European Commission's jurisdiction to review the Illumina/Grail transaction following a referral pursuant to Article 22 EUMR. The judgment is an important...more
7/18/2022
/ Admissibility ,
EU ,
EUMR ,
European Commission ,
European Merger Control Regulation ,
General Court of the European Union (GCEU) ,
Infrastructure ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Jurisdiction ,
Killer Acquisitions ,
Merger Reviews
On 18 May 2022, the EU General Court (GC) upheld the European Commission's (EC) € 28 million fine imposed on Canon for gun-jumping in the context of a (somewhat unique) so-called warehousing structure. The judgment confirms...more
On 23 February 2022, the EU's General Court (GC) dismissed a €1.7 billion claim for damages brought by United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) against the European Commission (EC).1 UPS sought compensation for the losses resulting...more
3/3/2022
/ Break-Up Fee ,
Damages ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Infringement ,
Lost Profits ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Right of Defence ,
TNT ,
UPS
The German Bundeskartellamt and the Austrian Bundeswettbewerbsbehörde have updated their joint guidance on the application of their respective transaction value thresholds for mandatory merger notifications (the "Guidelines")...more
There have been a number of developments in merger control in 2020 and Q1 2021. Some are related to the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, while others are borne out of the ambitions and changes sought by individual...more
On 5 May 2021, the European Commission ("Commission") issued a proposal for a far-reaching Regulation to tackle foreign subsidies, which, if adopted, will increase the regulatory risk for companies operating or investing in...more
5/10/2021
/ Competition ,
Corporate Counsel ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Foreign Subsidies ,
Joint Venture ,
Mergers ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Public Consultations ,
Public Procurement Policies
On 17 June 2020, the European Commission published a White Paper seeking views on three powerful new tools to control the acquisitions and activities of foreign subsidised companies in the EU:1 (i) a general ex post control...more
6/19/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Foreign Investment ,
Foreign Subsidiaries ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Public Consultations ,
Screening Procedures ,
WTO
On 25 March 2020, the European Commission issued guidelines to coordinate the EU's approach to investment screening in light of the COVID-19 crisis and to protect the EU's critical assets and technologies from potential...more
Antitrust agencies around the world are adjusting to the policies and procedures they quickly implemented in response to the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (“COVID-19”), as detailed in White & Case’s March 16th alert. In...more
3/27/2020
/ Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Global Market ,
Merger Controls ,
Office Closures ,
Remote Working ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
United States
Beware of antitrust rules despite alarming economic threats of the COVID-19 outbreak: no general "crisis" defense; governments grant (few) specific exemptions; further developments to be followed....more
Last week, in response to the outbreak of the Coronavirus disease (COVID19), the antitrust agencies in the United States and European Union issued policies that will affect, and may delay, merger filings and reviews. ...more
3/17/2020
/ Antitrust Division ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Electronic Filing ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Filing Requirements ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Merger Reviews ,
Mergers ,
Premerger Notifications ,
Risk Mitigation
On 14 March 2019, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) decided to close its investigation into a discount scheme by Merck Sharp & Dohme Limited (MSD). The CMA concluded that there were no grounds for it to take...more