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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
In Denmark, the Danish Competition Council is the principal enforcer of competition law, with the Danish Competition and Consumer Authority acting as the day-to-day caretaker and rendering decisions in (minor) cases. Decisions made by either the Competition and Consumer Authority or the Competition Council may be appealed to the Danish Competition Appeals Board or the…
The power to conduct unannounced on-site inspections, commonly known as dawn raids, remains one of the most effective tools available to competition authorities in detecting anti-competitive practices. However, the digital transformation of business operations has introduced new complexities to these on-site inspections, particularly regarding the handling and preservation of electronic evidence. Recent decisions by the…
The ECN+ Directive had to be transposed into the national laws by 4 February 2021. Only five Member States (Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Sweden, and the Netherlands) adopted their national implementing measures in time. On the date of this blog-post, Estonia remains as the only Member State that has not yet transposed the ECN+ Directive (see…
Introduction With 2024 now in hindsight, it is time to reflect on the developments in the Polish competition law landscape over the past year. It can be summarized as a continuation of activities of the Polish Competition Authority – President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK), based on previously developed frameworks, taking…
In June 2024, amendments to the Canadian Competition Act (Act) garnered significant attention (and often, criticism) from both business and legal communities in Canada for the introduction of new “greenwashing” provisions. The new provisions explicitly require businesses to substantiate claims made to Canadian consumers relating to the benefits of the business, business activities, products and/or…
