Foreign direct investment ("FDI") screening was one of the major topics of 2023 as a myriad of new regimes joined the FDI club and its more seasoned members continue to strengthen scope and enforcement, with the impacts felt...more
White & Case Global Antitrust Merger StatPak (WAMS)—the first real-time clearinghouse for global merger notification data—has analyzed merger notifications in reporting jurisdictions around the first half of calendar year...more
9/28/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Competition ,
Competition Authorities ,
EU ,
Global Dealmaking ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
OECD ,
Popular ,
Pre-Merger Filing Requirements ,
UK
The European Court of Justice (“ECJ”) has ruled that Hungary’s foreign investment screening law is incompatible with EU law, in particular the freedom of establishment enshrined in Article 54 TFEU. In striking down a...more
In an unprecedented double-strike, the German government recently blocked two transactions pertaining to Chinese investments in German semiconductor facilities. Just two weeks before, the cabinet had already intervened...more
11/17/2022
/ Canada ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Germany ,
Investment ,
Investors ,
National Security ,
Prohibited Transactions ,
Semiconductors ,
UK
...Key Highlights -
According to WAMS data, US merger control filing activity has cooled off: H1 2022 merger filing activity is down 23 percent versus H1 2021. However, US HSR filings in H1 2022 are 47 percent above the...more
7/19/2022
/ Acquisitions ,
Austria ,
Brazil ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
European Merger Control Regulation ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Germany ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers
On 1 January 2022, the second amendment to the German Regulation for Critical Infrastructure ("Critical Infrastructure Regulation"/BSI-KritisV) entered into force. It will broaden the definition of Critical Infrastructures,...more
1/3/2022
/ EFTA ,
Energy Sector ,
EU ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Germany ,
Healthcare ,
Infrastructure ,
Insurance Industry ,
Software ,
Telecommunications ,
Traffic Laws ,
Transportation Industry
The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy continues to tighten FDI control, but the investment climate remains liberal in principle -
In Germany, the investment climate remains liberal in principle. Nevertheless,...more
Member States are introducing or expanding investment screening regimes, and the European Commission is now playing an active role -
While there is no standalone foreign direct investment (FDI) screening at the EU level, the...more
12/27/2021
/ EU ,
European Commission ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Foreign Investment ,
Foreign Subsidiaries ,
Investors ,
Member State ,
Popular ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Screening Procedures ,
Threshold Requirements
The latest amendment of the German FDI rules brings mandatory reviews for 16 additional "critical activities" – but also some welcomed clarifications. The amendment entered into force on May 1, 2021 and is applicable to all...more
On January 22, 2021, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy has published the anticipated draft revision of the German Foreign Trade and Payments Ordinance to align the scope of review more closely with...more
In a regime undergoing rapid change, investment screening is currently "light," with red tape increasing for European inbound investment -
While there is still no standalone foreign direct investment (FDI) screening at...more
11/10/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
EU ,
EU Screening Regulation ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Foreign Investment ,
Member State ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
National Security ,
National Security Review Proceedings
The Vertical Block Exemption Regulation (VBER) is at the heart of the antitrust assessment of many distribution agreements and other types of vertical arrangements. In force for more than 10 years already, the current VBER...more
A recent speech1 by the European Commission's (the Commission) Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager (the Commissioner), on the 30th anniversary of the EU Merger Regulation (EUMR), praised it as having created "a...more
Four years after the European Commission (“EC”) thwarted Hutchison’s attempt to consolidate the UK mobile telecoms market through its planned acquisition of O2, the General Court yesterday dealt a crushing blow to the...more