Apple, Digital, Digital economy, Germany, National competition authorities (NCAs), Self-preferencing

(Heinz & Zagrosek Partner mbB, Germany)/ /Leave a comment

Introduction On February 13, 2025, the Bundeskartellamt (Federal Cartel Office, “FCO”) sent its statement of objections to Apple regarding the App Tracking Transparency Framework (“ATTF”), setting out competition concerns based on a preliminary legal assessment (see press release here).  The FCO initiated proceedings under Section 19a ARC and Art. 102 TFEU on June 14, 2022…

Bid-rigging, Criminal enforcement, Spain

(Suderow Fernández Abogadas)/ /Leave a comment

Europe is not alien to Criminal liability for bid rigging. There are even have national criminal codes that consider cartels and bid rigging practices as a criminal offence (see Criminalisation of Cartels and Bid Rigging Conspiracies: A Focus on Custodial Sentences | OECD). Notwithstanding this, cases are rare, and judgments addressing this topic are scarce….

Canada, Competition Law 2024

, (Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP, Canada)/ /Leave a comment

For the last few years, a series of significant, iterative amendments to Canada’s Competition Act (Act) have occupied centre stage in any discussion of Canadian competition law and policy. With the last of these amendments coming into force in June 2025, attention is increasingly shifting to how the cumulative amendments will be applied. In this…

Antitrust, Compliance

, (MLAB Abogados)/ /Leave a comment

Introduction Companies are increasingly aware of the significance of complying with all applicable laws when carrying out their business activities. As a result, companies (both small and large) have implemented compliance programmes covering the most relevant areas of law, to ensure that they comply with these rules to avoid severe consequences, such as high fines…

Competition Law 2024, France

, (Université Côte d'Azur)/ /Leave a comment

2024 marked the 15th anniversary of the Autorité de la concurrence – previously the Conseil de la concurrence – (Press release, 12 November 2024), a record anniversary. Indeed, the French competition authority (“FCA”) has had a “historic year” with “€1.4 billion in fines imposed and a record 295 mergers examined” (Press Release, 15 January 2025). As the European Court of…

European Union, Geopolitics, Industrial policy, State aid

(University of Vienna, Austria) and (Universiteit Utrecht)/ /Leave a comment

Recently, the European Union’s industrial policy has undergone a renaissance. Faced with mounting geopolitical uncertainties, increased global competition, and the urgency of “twin transitions” (digital and green), the EU has identified a pressing need to bolster strategic sectors, accelerate innovation, and ensure resilience within the internal market. The Letta and Draghi Reports can vouch for…

Competition Law 2024, Italy

, (European Commission)/ /Leave a comment

This year’s recap of the main developments of competition law and policy in Italy in 2024 will first provide a brief and general policy update, and then will discuss some of the main sector-specific developments (without any aspiration of being exhaustive). Then, we will provide some updates concerning the private enforcement of competition rules, as…

World Competition Law and Economics Review

(Bird and Bird, Belgium)/ /Leave a comment

We are happy to inform you that the latest issue of the journal is now available and includes the following contributions:   Alba Ribera Martínez, The Credibility of the DMA’s Compliance Reports The institutional setting of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) (Regulation (EU) 2022/1925 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 September…

Competition Law 2024, Slovenia

(Linklaters LLP)/ /Leave a comment

Year at a Glance 2025 saw a flurry of developments in Slovenian competition law, featuring all the hallmarks of antitrust enforcement. From market investigations in the food delivery sector to alleged bid rigging in IT procurement, it was an eventful year. Not to mention the abandoned mega-merger of grocery chains, which failed to resolve competition…

Competition Law 2024, Germany

(Heinz & Zagrosek Partner mbB, Germany)/ /Leave a comment

The following is a selection of some important developments in German competition law and policy in 2024.  It covers the latest legislative changes for hospital mergers, cases under special rules for digital gatekeepers, abuse of dominance, merger control, the sector inquiry into charging stations for e-vehicles, antitrust (cartels, vertical price fixing and horizontal cooperation) and…