The UK Government has published its plans for implementing the new subscription contracts regime established under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA). The new regime will introduce "cooling-off"...more
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (the "CMA") has unveiled its Annual Plan for 2026–2027 (the "Plan"), setting out the authority's strategic priorities and workplan for the year ahead.
The Plan arrives at a...more
3/31/2026
/ Algorithms ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Bid Rigging ,
Competition ,
Competition Authorities ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Digital Markets Strategy ,
Digital Platforms ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Industrial Sector ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Procurement Guidelines ,
Regulatory Reform ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
The European Commission has published for public consultation a proposal to revise the General Block Exemption Regulation on State aid (GBER), with its entry into force scheduled for 1 January 2027. The review is...more
3/23/2026
/ Clean Energy ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Sector ,
Energy Storage ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Hydrogen Power ,
Investment ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Renewable Energy ,
State Aid
The European Commission and the United Kingdom have signed a landmark EU-UK Competition Cooperation Agreement ("Agreement"), establishing the first formal post-Brexit framework for structured cooperation between EU...more
3/5/2026
/ Antitrust Investigations ,
Competition Authorities ,
Cooperation Agreement ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Information Sharing ,
Merger Controls ,
Notification Requirements ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
On 22 January 2026, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published updated guidance on making environmental claims across supply chains. The guidance provides greater clarity — and warns of enforcement — for...more
Recognising that innovation is essential to driving growth in Europe, the European Commission (EC) has made it one of the central themes in the modernisation of the EU merger control framework. The EC recognises that mergers...more
As we approach the second anniversary of the EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR), we take stock of the latest statistics and offer practical insights for private equity (PE) sponsors. Drawing on our extensive experience...more
The European Commission has launched a public consultation of its Horizontal and Non-Horizontal Merger Guidelines. Framed as a "comprehensive and ambitious" review, the Commission is exploring how to incorporate wider policy...more
5/27/2025
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Consultation ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Innovation ,
Merger Controls ,
Merger Reviews ,
Mergers ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Sustainability
The UK’s Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) is taking significant steps to evolve its approach to merger control, introducing a new Mergers Charter and launching a review of its merger remedies framework. These initiatives...more
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published a suite of guidance documents that set out how it intends to exercise its powers under the Digital Markets, Competition, and Consumers Act (Act). The Act, which...more
After years of planning and debate, the UK's Digital Markets, Competition, and Consumers Act will come into force on 1 January 2025. This landmark legislation provides expanded powers to the CMA in respect of merger control,...more
The European Commission has published for public consultation its long-awaited draft Guidelines on exclusionary abuses (draft Guidelines). The draft Guidelines aim at making it faster and easier for the Commission to pursue...more
The French Competition Authority (“FCA”) is committed to an “open door” policy to support companies wishing to pursue projects around sustainable development. Continuing its informal policy since 2020, the FCA has published a...more
6/3/2024
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Competition Authorities ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
France ,
French Competition Authority ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Sustainability
The first months of application of the EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) have involved a large number of notifications, lengthy and wide-ranging requests for information, and the opening of the first in-depth...more
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (the "CMA") has published a research report on competition and market power in labour markets. The report is likely to reinforce the CMA’s determination to use its competition law...more
The European Commission ("EC") has published its final revised Horizontal Cooperation Guidelines and adopted new R&D and Specialisation Block Exemption Regulations (HBERs). The EC's aim is to provide more guidance for...more
Advocate General Anthony Michael Collins has proposed that the European Court of Justice uphold the General Court's Altice judgment. In his Opinion, he considered that the entering into certain types of pre-closing covenants...more
5/11/2023
/ Antitrust Division ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Belgium ,
Competition ,
EU ,
EUMR ,
European Commission ,
European Court of Justice (ECJ) ,
Gun-Jumping ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Proportionality ,
Transparency ,
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)
The UK antitrust authority, the CMA, has recently published a guide for employers on how to avoid breaching UK antitrust law in labour markets. This publication signals the UK's intent to ratchet up antitrust scrutiny of...more
3/20/2023
/ Antitrust Division ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
No-Poaching ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
United States
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 12 January 2023, the EU Court of Justice upheld the EU General Court’s judgment imposing a fine on Lithuanian Railways for dismantling a section of railway track. While reaffirming its essential facility case law...more
The Dutch Competition Authority has recently approved three different sustainability initiatives in the CO2 capture/storage, soft drinks and floriculture sectors. These approvals demonstrate the Dutch Competition Authority’s...more
Advocate General Kokott has found that the General Court erred in law in requiring the European Commission to show anti-competitive effects of a merger with “strong probability” and that the scope of its judicial review was...more
10/28/2022
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Competition ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
European Court of Justice (ECJ) ,
Investment ,
Judicial Review ,
Mergers ,
Standard of Proof ,
Telecommunications ,
UK
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
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