In yet another twist in the Illumina/Grail saga, Advocate General Emiliou has challenged the European Commission's approach to calling-in certain non-reportable transactions for review. The final judgment will be delivered by...more
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 long-awaited Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill has been published. Touted as a Bill to "stamp out unfair practices and promote competition in digital markets", the DMCC seeks to enhance consumer protection...more
On 8 February 2023, the CAT upheld claims by both BMW and Volkswagen confirming that the CMA cannot compel responses to information requests from companies with no territorial connection to the UK. In March 2022, the CMA...more
On 1 September, the European Commission (EC) issued its Second Annual Report under Article 5(4) of the Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) Screening Regulation along with an EC Staff Working Document (SWD). The Report covers the...more
On 12 July 2022, the UK Competition and Markets Authority published final guidance for its new antitrust rules governing vertical agreements. The new rules provide additional flexibility for the design of distribution...more
The Subsidy Control Bill (the "SCB"), first introduced by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (the "BEIS") on 30 June 2021, is making its way through the House of Lords ahead of expected adoption in...more
The European Commission (EC) issued its first Annual Report pursuant to Article 5(3) of the Screening Regulation on foreign direct investment (FDI) in the EU on 23 November 2021. The Report provides transparency around the...more
11/29/2021
/ Annual Reports ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
EU ,
EU Screening Regulation ,
European Commission ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Foreign Investment ,
Investors ,
Member State ,
Popular ,
Transparency
On 9 July 2021, the European Commission (EC) published for public consultation a draft revised Vertical Block Exemption Regulation (VBER) and draft revised guidelines on vertical restraints (Vertical Guidelines). The EC has...more
State aid remained one of the key sticking points in Brexit negotiations right until the announcement of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement ("TCA") on Christmas Eve 2020. One of the key priorities of the European Union...more
2/8/2021
/ BEIS ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Financial Assistance Policies ,
Judicial Review ,
Member State ,
State Aid ,
Subsidies ,
Trade Relations ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
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 2 June 2020, the European Commission published its roadmap on the possible introduction of a ‘new competition tool’ that would allow it to initiate market investigations into perceived structural competition problems, with...more
Prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, there had been a growing and global trend of established Western economies increasingly scrutinising foreign investment in key sectors. FDI restrictions have been on the...more
5/29/2020
/ Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) ,
Blocked Mergers ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
EU ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Foreign Investment ,
Member State ,
Mergers ,
National Security ,
National Security Review Proceedings ,
Non-EU Investors ,
Popular
In anticipation of the wave of requests from stricken companies due to the COVID-19 outbreak for more long-term State support, on 8 May, the Commission extended the scope of its State aid Temporary Framework to allow Member...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
The European Court of Justice's ruling in Paroxetine, handed down in record time just before Brexit, confirms the narrow interpretation of restrictions by object given in other recent cases. It also clarified certain issues...more
2/19/2020
/ Abuse of Dominance ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Appeals ,
EU ,
European Court of Justice (ECJ) ,
Generic Drugs ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patents ,
Pharmaceutical Patents ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Reverse Payment Settlement Agreements ,
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) ,
UK Brexit ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
UK Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT)
As the UK departs the European Union, the CMA – the UK competition regulator – is facing a transformation in its mandate. White & Case considers how the CMA will approach its workload during and after the Transition Period...more
2/1/2020
/ Anticompetitive Behavior ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Cartels ,
Competition Authorities ,
Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ,
EU ,
EUMR ,
European Commission ,
Expiration Date ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Parallel Proceedings ,
Transitional Arrangements ,
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
Withdrawal Agreement
This Alert provides an update with respect to foreign direct investment ("FDI") regimes in certain key jurisdictions since the Firm's comprehensive FDI Guide, National Security Reviews 2018, was published in November 2018....more
4/29/2019
/ Australia ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
EU ,
European Council ,
Export Control Reform Act (ECRA) ,
Federal Pilot Programs ,
FIRB ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Germany ,
Japan ,
Mergers ,
National Security Review Proceedings ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
UK ,
United States