European Commission

State aid: Commission approves €246 million Dutch scheme to support renewable hydrogen production The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €246 million Dutch scheme to support the production of renewable hydrogen. The measure aims to contribute to the development of (...)

State aid: Commission approves €2.36 billion Hungarian scheme for accelerated investments in strategic sectors to foster the transition to a net-zero economy* The European Commission has approved a €2.36 billion (approximately HUF 880 billion) Hungarian scheme for accelerated investments in (...)

State aid: Commission approves €28.8 million Austrian measure to support the modernisation of Sandoz’s penicillin production in Tyrol* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €28.8 million Austrian measure to support the modernisation of Sandoz GmbH (‘Sandoz’) (...)

Antitrust: Commission opens investigation into possible anticompetitive practices by Microsoft regarding Teams* The European Commission has opened a formal investigation to assess whether Microsoft may have breached EU competition rules by tying or bundling its communication and (...)

State aid: Commission approves €40 million German support for on-shore LNG terminal in Brunsbüttel* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €40 million German support measure for the construction and operation of a new land-based liquefied natural gas (‘LNG’) (...)

State aid: Commission approves €5 billion Czech scheme to support energy producers in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €5 billion (CZK 125 billion) Czech scheme to support large energy producers in the context of Russia’s war against (...)

Mergers: Commission opens formal investigation for possible breach of notification requirement, standstill obligation and clearance conditions and obligations in Vivendi/Lagardère transaction* The European Commission has decided to open a formal investigation to determine whether, when (...)

State aid: Commission approves German €550 million direct grant and conditional payment mechanism of up to €1.45 billion to support ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe in decarbonising its steel production and accelerating renewable hydrogen uptake* The European Commission has approved, under EU State (...)

State aid: Commission approves €89.5 million Italian measure under Recovery and Resilience Facility to support 3Sun’s solar panel plant expansion* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €89.5 million Italian measure made available through the Recovery and (...)

State aid: Commission approves €850 million French measure to support ArcelorMittal decarbonise its steel production* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €850 million French measure to support ArcelorMittal France (‘ArcelorMittal’) in partially decarbonising its (...)

State aid: Commission approves €3 billion German scheme to support private investments in strategic goods to foster the transition to a net-zero economy* The European Commission has approved a €3 billion German scheme to support private investments in specific strategic goods needed to (...)

Antitrust: Commission decides to refer ESTONIA to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to transpose ECN+ Directive* Today, the Commission decided to refer Estonia to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to fully transpose the ECN+ Directive (Directive (EU) (...)

Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of VMware by Broadcom, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of VMware by Broadcom. The approval is conditional upon full compliance with the commitments offered by (...)

Mergers: Commission fines Illumina and GRAIL for implementing their acquisition without prior merger control approval* The European Commission has fined Illumina and GRAIL approximately €432 million and €1,000 respectively, for implementing their proposed merger before approval by the (...)

Commission adopts rules for implementing the Foreign Subsidies Regulation* The European Commission has adopted today the rules for implementing the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (‘FSR’). The Implementing Regulation details procedural aspects of the implementation of the FSR. It also contains (...)

State aid: Commission approves modification of Dutch scheme to reduce greenhouse gas emissions* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, the modification of a Dutch scheme to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The scheme will further contribute to achieving the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €350 million Spanish scheme under Recovery and Resilience Facility for developing electricity storage facilities* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €350 million Spanish scheme, made available through the Recovery and Resilience (...)

State aid: Commission prolongs the possibility to grant operating aid to certain regional airports* The European Commission has prolonged the possibility of granting operating aid to certain regional airports under the 2014 Guidelines on State aid to airports and airlines until 4 April 2027. (...)

Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into the proposed acquisition of iRobot by Amazon* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of iRobot by Amazon. The Commission is concerned that the (...)

State aid: Commission opens in-depth investigation into €1 billion Danish and Swedish support measure to recapitalise SAS in context of coronavirus pandemic* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether a Danish and Swedish recapitalisation measure of (...)

Mergers: Commission clears Advent’s acquisition of GfK subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of GfK by Advent. The approval is conditional upon full compliance with the commitments offered by Advent. Advent, (...)

Mergers: Commission sends Orange and MasMovil Statement of Objections over their proposed joint venture in Spain* The European Commission has informed Orange and MasMovil of its preliminary view that their proposed joint venture may reduce competition in the retail supply of mobile and fixed (...)

Antitrust: Commission seeks feedback on commitments offered by Renfe over possible anticompetitive practices in online rail ticketing in Spain* The European Commission invites comments on commitments offered by Renfe to address competition concerns over its alleged refusal to supply full (...)

State aid: Commission approves €280 million Belgian measure to support ArcelorMittal decarbonise its steel production* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €280 million Belgian measure to support ArcelorMittal Belgium (‘ArcelorMittal’) in partially decarbonising (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.1 billion Hungarian scheme to support electricity storage facilities to foster the transition to a net-zero economy* The European Commission has approved a €1.1 billion (approximately HUF 436 billion) Hungarian scheme to support electricity storage (...)

State aid: Commission approves €718 million Czech scheme to support companies in the heat sector in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine* The European Commission has approved an approximately €718 million (CZK 17 billion) Czech scheme to support companies affected by increased heat (...)

State aid: Commission approves €680 million Spanish scheme under the Recovery and Resilience Facility to support roll out of 5G mobile networks in rural areas* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €680 million Spanish scheme made available through the Recovery (...)

Antitrust: Commission sends Statement of Objections to Google over abusive practices in online advertising technology* The European Commission has informed Google of its preliminary view that the company breached EU antitrust rules by distorting competition in the advertising technology (...)

Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of Lagardère by Vivendi, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Lagardère by Vivendi. The Commission’s decision is conditional upon full compliance with the commitments (...)

Mergers: Commission sends Booking Statement of Objections over proposed acquisition of eTraveli* The European Commission has informed Booking Holdings (‘Booking’) of its preliminary view that its proposed acquisition of Flugo Group Holdings AB (‘eTraveli’) may allow Booking to strengthen its (...)

State aid: Commission approves up to €8.1 billion of public support by fourteen Member States for an Important Project of Common European Interest in microelectronics and communication technologies* The Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, an Important Project of Common (...)

Antitrust: Commission adopts new Horizontal Block Exemption Regulations and Horizontal Guidelines* The European Commission has today adopted revised Horizontal Block Exemption Regulations on Research and Development (‘R&D’) and Specialisation agreements (‘HBERs’), accompanied by revised (...)

Mergers: Commission approves the merger between Credit Suisse and UBS* The European Commission has approved unconditionally, under the EU Merger Regulation, the merger between Credit Suisse and UBS. The Commission concluded that the transaction would not raise competition concerns in the (...)

Mergers: Commission clears Viasat’s acquisition of Inmarsat* The European Commission has approved unconditionally, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Inmarsat by Viasat. The Commission concluded that the merger would not raise competition concerns in the European (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1 billion Polish scheme to support agricultural producers in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine* The European Commission has approved an approximately €1 billion (PLN 4.7 billion) Polish scheme to support the liquidity of agricultural producers in the (...)

Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of OMV Slovenija by MOL, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of OMV Slovenija by MOL. The approval is conditional on the divesture of 39 fuel stations in Slovenia to the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.3 billion Polish scheme to support agricultural producers’ payments of insurance premiums to cover adverse climatic events* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €1.3 billion Polish scheme to support agricultural producers to pay (...)

Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard (‘Activision’) by Microsoft. The approval is conditional on full compliance (...)

Mergers: Commission sends Korean Air Statement of Objections over proposed acquisition of Asiana* The European Commission has informed Korean Air of its preliminary view that its proposed acquisition of Asiana may restrict competition in the markets for passenger and cargo air transport (...)

State aid: Commission approves Danish measures to support new export and investment fund* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, Danish measures to set-up Denmark’s Export and Investment Fund (‘the Fund’), with a total estimated value of over €4 billion. The Fund (...)

State aid: Commission approves €837 million Spanish scheme to support the production of batteries for electric and connected vehicles to foster the transition to a net-zero economy* The European Commission has approved a €837 million Spanish scheme to support the production of batteries for (...)

State aid: Commission approves €2.6 billion Swedish scheme to support companies in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €2.6 billion (SEK 29 billion) Swedish scheme to support companies active in southern Sweden in the context of Russia’s war (...)

Mergers: Commission clears Hydro’s acquisition of Alumetal* The European Commission has approved unconditionally, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Alumetal by Norsk Hydro. The Commission concluded that the merger would not raise competition concerns in the European (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.47 billion Dutch schemes to reduce nitrogen deposition on nature conservation areas* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, two Dutch schemes with a total budget of around €1.47 billion to reduce nitrogen deposition on nature (...)

Antitrust: Commission opens investigation into possible anticompetitive practices by Renfe in online rail ticketing* The European Commission has opened a formal investigation to assess whether Renfe may have abused its dominant position in the Spanish passenger rail transport market by (...)

State aid: Commission approves French measure to support STMicroelectronics and GlobalFoundries to set up new microchips plant* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a French aid measure to support STMicroelectronics (‘ST’) and GlobalFoundries (‘GF’) in the (...)

State aid: Commission approves prolonged and amended Spanish and Portuguese measure to lower electricity prices amid energy crisis* The European Commission has approved, under State aid rules, the prolongation and amendments of a Spanish and Portuguese measure aimed at reducing the wholesale (...)

State aid: Commission approves €401 million Czech scheme to promote green district heating* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €401 million Czech scheme to promote green district heating based on renewable energy and waste heat. The measure will contribute to (...)

Mergers: Commission further cuts red tape for merging businesses* The European Commission has today adopted a package to further simplify its procedures for reviewing concentrations under the EU Merger Regulation. The package includes: (i) a revised Merger Implementing Regulation (...)

Antitrust: Commission confirms unannounced inspections in the fashion sector* On 18 April 2023, the European Commission has started unannounced inspections at the premises of companies active in the fashion industry in several Member States. In parallel, the Commission has sent out formal (...)

Antitrust: Commission prolongs Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation and updates the Supplementary Guidelines* The European Commission has prolonged the Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation (‘MVBER’) for five years, meaning that it will now be applicable until 31 May 2028. It has also (...)

State aid: Commission opens in-depth investigation into Romanian support measures in favour of Blue Air* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether certain Romanian support measures in favour of the airline Blue Air Aviation (‘Blue Air’) are in line with (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1 billion Hungarian scheme to support companies facing increased energy costs in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €1 billion (approximately HUF 379 billion) Hungarian scheme to support companies facing (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.4 billion Dutch scheme to support energy-intensive companies in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €1.4 billion Dutch scheme to support energy-intensive small and medium-sized enterprises (‘SMEs’) facing (...)

Mergers: Commission sends Broadcom Statement of Objections over proposed acquisition of VMware* The European Commission has informed Broadcom of its preliminary view that its proposed acquisition of VMware may restrict competition in the market for certain hardware components which (...)

State aid: Commission approves €158 million Polish measure to support LOTOS Green H2 in the production of renewable hydrogen* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €158 million Polish measure to support LOTOS Green H2 sp. z o.o, a special purpose vehicle (...)

State aid: Commission updates guidance for measures to support the green transition* The European Commission has published today updated State aid guiding templates to assist Member States in designing measures, which will be included in their national Recovery and Resilience Plans (‘RRPs’), (...)

State aid: Commission approves €450 million Italian scheme to support the production of renewable hydrogen to foster the transition to a net-zero economy* The European Commission has approved a €450 million Italian scheme to support the production of renewable hydrogen with the aim to foster (...)

Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into the proposed transaction between Orange and MasMovil* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed creation of a joint venture by Orange and MasMovil. The Commission (...)

Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of Photomath by Google* The European Commission has approved unconditionally, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Photomath, Inc. (‘Photomath’) by Google LLC (‘Google’). The Commission concluded that the transaction would raise (...)

Antitrust: Commission announces Guidelines on exclusionary abuses and amends Guidance on enforcement priorities* The European Commission has launched a Call for Evidence seeking feedback on the adoption of Guidelines on exclusionary abuses of dominance. In parallel, it has published a (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1 billion Finnish scheme to support companies in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €1 billion Finnish scheme to support companies in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The scheme was approved under (...)

Antitrust: Commission carries out unannounced inspections in the energy drinks sector* On 20 March 2023, the European Commission has started unannounced inspections at the premises of a company active in the energy drinks sector in various Member States. The Commission has concerns that (...)

Mergers: Commission clears the acquisition of VOO and Brutélé by Orange, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of VOO and Brutélé by Orange. The approval is conditional on full compliance with a commitments (...)

State aid: Commission approves €650 million Slovenian scheme to support companies facing increased energy costs in context of Russia’s war against Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €650 million Slovenian scheme to support companies facing increased energy costs in the context (...)

Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of Borealis NITRO by AGROFERT* The European Commission has approved unconditionally, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of the nitrogen business of Borealis AG (‘Borealis NITRO’) by AGROFERT Group (‘AGROFERT’). The Commission concluded that (...)

State aid: Commission adopts Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework to further support transition towards net-zero economy* The European Commission has adopted today a new Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework to foster support measures in sectors which are key for the transition to a (...)

State aid: Commission amends General Block Exemption rules to further facilitate and speed up green and digital transition* The European Commission has endorsed a targeted amendment to the General Block Exemption Regulation (’GBER’) to further facilitate, simplify and speed up support for (...)

Antitrust: Commission confirms unannounced inspections in the fragrance sector* On 7 March 2023, the European Commission carried out unannounced inspections at the premises of companies and an association active in the fragrance industry in various Member States. In parallel, the Commission (...)

State aid: Commission approves amendment to Italian guarantee scheme, including up to €3 billion budget increase, in context of Russia’s war against Ukraine* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, an amendment to an existing Italian guarantee scheme, including an up (...)

State aid: Commission extends in-depth investigation into Germany’s plans for early closure of lignite-fired power plants* The European Commission has extended the scope of its ongoing in-depth inquiry into Germany’s plans to compensate lignite-fired power plants operators for the early (...)

State aid: Commission approves €2 billion French guarantee scheme to support energy-consuming companies in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €2 billion French guarantee scheme to support energy-consuming companies in the context of Russia’s (...)

Antitrust: Commission sends Statement of Objections to Apple clarifying concerns over App Store rules for music streaming providers* The European Commission has sent a Statement of Objections to Apple clarifying its concerns over App Store rules for music streaming providers. This (...)

State aid: Commission approves €89.6 million Hungarian investment aid to Samsung SDI’s electric vehicle battery plant* The European Commission has found Hungary’s €89.6 million measure in favour of Samsung SDI to be in line with EU State aid rules. The investment aid will support the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €3 billion French scheme to support companies in five outermost regions* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €3 billion French scheme to compensate companies in five French outermost regions for the additional costs borne when (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.1 billion German scheme to support rail transport operators using electric traction* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €1.1 billion German scheme to compensate rail transport operators using electric traction in the context of (...)

State aid: Commission approves €55 million German measure to support ArcelorMittal’s green steel demonstration plant* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €55 million German measure to support ArcelorMittal Hamburg GmbH (‘ArcelorMittal’) in building a (...)

State aid: Commission approves €460 million Spanish measure to support ArcelorMittal decarbonise its steel production* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €460 million Spanish measure to support ArcelorMittal España (‘ArcelorMittal’) in partially decarbonising (...)

Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into proposed acquisition of Asiana by Korean Air* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Asiana by Korean Air. The Commission is concerned that the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €170 million Danish scheme to support renewable hydrogen production* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €170 million Danish scheme to support the production of renewable hydrogen through Power-to-X (‘PtX’) technologies. The (...)

State aid: Commission approves €259 million Romanian scheme under Recovery and Resilience Facility to support investments in batteries, photovoltaic cells and panels* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €259 million Romanian scheme, made available in part (...)

State aid: Commission approves €2.08 billion French measure to support offshore wind energy generation* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €2.08 billion French measure to support offshore wind electricity production in France. The measure will contribute to (...)

Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into the proposed acquisition of Inmarsat by Viasat* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Inmarsat by Viasat. The Commission is concerned that the (...)

Mergers: Commission clears creation of a joint venture by Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica and Vodafone* The European Commission has approved unconditionally, under the EU Merger Regulation, the creation of a joint venture by Deutsche Telekom AG Orange SA, Telefónica S.A. and Vodafone (...)

Mergers: Commission clears the acquisition of MBCC by Sika, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of MBCC by Sika. The approval is conditional on the divestiture of MBCC’s global chemical admixture business. (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.36 billion Greek scheme to compensate energy-intensive companies for indirect emission costs* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a Greek scheme to partially compensate energy-intensive companies for higher electricity prices (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.5 billion French scheme to support protection against the insolvency of travel organisers* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €1.5 billion French scheme to support insurers that cover travel organisers’ insolvency. The aim of (...)

State aid: Commission approves €600 million Slovak scheme to support its economy in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €600 million Slovak scheme to support its economy in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The scheme was approved (...)

State aid: Commission approves €104 million Croatian scheme to support energy-intensive companies* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €104 million Croatian scheme to reduce an electricity consumption levy imposed on energy-intensive companies. The scheme aims (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.6 billion Romania measure to capitalise new investment and development bank* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €1.6 billion Romanian measure to set-up the Romanian Investment and Development Bank (‘the Bank’). The Bank aims at (...)

State aid: Commission approves €21 million Polish scheme to compensate tourism sector for damages suffered due to restrictive measures at the Polish-Belarusian border* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €21 million (PLN 100 million) Polish scheme to compensate (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.1 billion Danish scheme to support roll-out of carbon capture and storage technologies* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €1.1 billion Danish scheme to support the roll-out of carbon capture and storage (‘CCS’) technologies. (...)

Foreign Subsidies Regulation: rules to ensure fair and open EU markets enter into force* Today, the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (‘FSR’) enters into force. This new set of rules for addressing distortions caused by foreign subsidies will allow the EU to remain open to trade and investment, (...)

State aid: Commission approves EUR 119.3 million French restructuring aid for Air Austral and EUR 17.5 million compensation for damage suffered as a result of the coronavirus pandemic* The European Commission, pursuant to the EU rules on State aid, has authorised France’s plan to pay (i) (...)

State aid: Commission approves €3 billion Polish scheme to support companies active in the Polish gas market in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €3 billion Polish scheme to support companies active in the Polish gas market in the context of (...)

State aid: Commission approves €12 million Cypriot scheme under the Recovery and Resilience Facility to support access to high-speed broadband services* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €12 million Cypriot voucher scheme, made available in part through the (...)

State aid: Commission approves modification of German scheme to support electricity production from renewable energy sources* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, the modification of a German scheme to support the production of electricity from renewable energy (...)

State aid: Commission approves amendments to German scheme to support offshore wind energy generation* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, amendments to a German scheme to support offshore wind energy generation in Germany (German Offshore Wind Energy Act - (...)

State aid: Commission approves €49 billion German scheme to support the economy in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €49 billion German scheme to support the economy in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The scheme was approved (...)

The General Court dismisses as inadmissible the action brought by the retail undertaking Breuninger against the Commission’s decision approving aid granted by Germany to compensate for losses suffered as a result of lockdown during the COVID-19 crisis* Breuninger erred in taking the view (...)

Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into the proposed acquisition of VMware by Broadcom* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of VMware by Broadcom. The Commission is particularly (...)

Antitrust: Commission accepts commitments by Amazon barring it from using marketplace seller data, and ensuring equal access to Buy Box and Prime* The European Commission has made commitments offered by Amazon legally binding under EU antitrust rules. Amazon’s commitments address the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.1 billion Polish scheme to support particularly affected energy intensive companies in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €1.1 billion (PLN 5.1 billion) Polish scheme to support particularly affected energy (...)

State aid: Commission approves amendments to Italian scheme, including up to €23 billion budget increase, to support companies in context of Russia’s war against Ukraine* The European Commission has found the amendments to an existing Italian guarantee scheme, including an up to €23 billion (...)

State aid: Commission approves €6.3 billion German measure to recapitalise energy company SEFE GmbH in context of Russia’s war against Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €6.3 billion German measure to recapitalise energy company SEFE Securing Energy for Europe GmbH (‘SEFE (...)

State aid: Commission approves up to €34.5 billion German measure to recapitalise energy company Uniper SE in context of Russia’s war against Ukraine* The European Commission has approved an up to €34.5 billion German aid measure to recapitalise energy company Uniper SE (‘Uniper’). The (...)

Antitrust: Commission sends Statement of Objections to Meta over abusive practices benefiting Facebook Marketplace* The European Commission has informed Meta of its preliminary view that the company breached EU antitrust rules by distorting competition in the markets for online classified (...)

State aid: Commission approves €80 million Finnish recapitalisation measure to support Meyer Turku Oy in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €80 million Finnish recapitalisation measure to support Meyer Turku Oy, the largest national shipyard (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1 billion Dutch scheme to support small energy users in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €1 billion Dutch scheme to support small energy users in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The scheme was (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.2 billion Czech scheme to promote green district heating* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €1.2 billion Czech scheme to promote green and more efficient district heating mainly based on renewable energy The measure will (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.8 billion German scheme to roll out high power charging infrastructure for electric vehicles* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €1.8 billion German scheme to support the roll out of high power charging (‘HPC’) infrastructure (...)

State aid: Commission adopts new rules for agriculture, forestry and fishery and aquaculture sectors* The European Commission has adopted today revised State aid rules for the agricultural, forestry and fishery and aquaculture sectors. The revised rules align State aid with the EU strategic (...)

State aid: Commission adopts revised State aid rules for broadband networks* The European Commission has adopted a revised Communication on State aid for broadband networks (‘Broadband Guidelines’). The revised Broadband Guidelines set out the rules under which the Commission will assess (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.2 billion Irish scheme to support companies in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €1.2 billion Irish scheme to support companies in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The scheme was approved under (...)

Antitrust: Commission sends Statement of Objections to Deutsche Bank and Rabobank over Euro-denominated bonds trading cartel case* The European Commission has informed Deutsche Bank and Rabobank of its preliminary view that they breached EU antitrust rules by colluding to distort competition (...)

State aid: Commission approves €26.3 million Finnish measure to support SEVO in construction of hydroelectric pump storage* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €26.3 million Finnish aid measure to support Suomen Energiavarasto Oy (‘SEVO’) in the construction of (...)

Mergers: The Commission adopts a Statement of Objections outlining measures to unwind Illumina’s blocked acquisition of GRAIL* The European Commission has sent a Statement of Objections to Illumina and GRAIL informing them of the restorative measures it intends to adopt under the EU Merger (...)

State aid: Commission approves €13.5 billion French scheme to compensate energy-intensive companies for indirect emission costs* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a French scheme to partially compensate energy-intensive companies for higher electricity prices (...)

State aid: Commission opens in-depth investigation into Lithuanian measure to compensate Litgas for operation of LNG terminal* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether the compensation granted by Lithuania to Litgas UAB (‘Litgas’) for supplying a (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1 billion French scheme to support companies in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €1 billion French scheme to support companies in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The scheme was approved under the (...)

State aid: Commission publishes results of evaluation of State aid rules on services of general economic interest applicable to health and social services and to small aid amounts* The European Commission has published a Staff Working Document summarising the results of the evaluation of the (...)

Construction of new nuclear reactors: the General Court dismisses the action brought by Austria to contest Hungarian investment aid approved by the Commission* By decision of 6 March 2017 (‘the contested decision’), the European Commission approved investment aid, notified by Hungary, for (...)

State aid: Commission approves €600 million Slovak scheme to support companies facing increased energy costs in context of Russia’s war against Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €600 million Slovak scheme to support companies facing increased energy costs in the context of (...)

Mergers: Statement by Executive Vice-President Vestager on the decision by Kronospan and Pfleiderer to abandon their deal* The European Commission takes note of Kronospan’s and Pfleiderer’s decision to terminate their agreement according to which Kronospan intended to acquire sole control (...)

Antitrust: Commission fines styrene purchasers €157 million in cartel settlement* The European Commission has fined Sunpor, Synbra, Synthomer, Synthos and Trinseo a total of €157 million for participating in a cartel concerning purchases on the styrene monomer merchant market. INEOS was not (...)

State aid: Commission approves €557 million German support to compensate Deutsche Bahn for damages suffered by its subsidiary DB Fernverkehr due to the coronavirus pandemic* The European Commission has found a €557 million German support measure in favour of Deutsche Bahn to be in line with (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.22 billion Irish scheme to support companies in context of Russia’s war against Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €1.22 billion Irish scheme to support companies across sectors in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The scheme was (...)

State aid: Commission approves €7.75 million Cypriot scheme to support some agricultural producers in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €7.75 million Cypriot scheme to support some agricultural producers in the context of Russia’s war against (...)

State aid: Commission approves amendments to German schemes, including up to €45 billion budget increase, to support companies in context of Russia’s war against Ukraine * The European Commission has approved the amendments to existing German umbrella schemes, including their prolongation (...)

State aid: Commission approves €88.3 million Spanish scheme under the Recovery and Resilience Facility to support connectivity in rural areas* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, an €88.3 million Spanish scheme made available through the Recovery and Resilience (...)

State aid: Commission approves €500 million Romanian scheme to support companies in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine* The European Commission has approved an approximately €500 million (RON 2,500 million) Romanian scheme to support companies across sectors in the context of (...)

Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into the proposed acquisition of eTraveli by Booking* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition by Booking Holdings (‘Booking’) of Flugo Group Holdings AB, (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.23 billion Czech scheme to support the economy in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €1.23 billion scheme to support the Czech economy in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The scheme was approved (...)

State aid: Commission approves €500 million Italian scheme to improve environmental performance of vessels* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €500 million Italian scheme to help companies in the maritime transport sector to acquire clean and zero-emission (...)

State aid: Commission approves €180 million Czech scheme to support rail and urban transport operators using electric traction* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €180 million Czech scheme to support rail and urban public transport operators using electric (...)

Competition: Commission seeks feedback on draft revised Market Definition Notice* The European Commission has launched today a public consultation inviting all interested parties to comment on the draft revised Market Definition Notice. Market definition is an important first step in the (...)

Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into the proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft under the EU Merger Regulation. The (...)

Statement by Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager following today’s Court judgment on the Fiat tax State aid case in Luxembourg* Today’s judgment by the Court of Justice annuls the Commission’s 2015 decision finding that Luxembourg granted selective tax advantages to Fiat through a (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.34 billion Danish scheme to support energy intensive companies in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €1.34 billion (DKK 10 billion) Danish scheme to support energy intensive companies in the context of (...)

Digital Markets Act: rules for digital gatekeepers to ensure open markets enter into force* Tomorrow, the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA) will enter into force. The new Regulation will put an end to unfair practices by companies that act as gatekeepers in the online platform economy. It was (...)

State aid: Commission approves €3.4 billion Danish scheme to support companies* in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €3.4 billion (DKK 25.2 billion) Danish subsidised loan scheme to support companies in the context of Russia’s war against (...)

Mergers: Commission approves SalMar’s acquisition of NTS, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of NTS by SalMar. The approval is conditional on full compliance with commitments offered by SalMar. SalMar is one (...)

The European Commission has approved a €1.5 billion Belgian guarantee scheme to support gas and electricity suppliers in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Crisis Framework, adopted by the Commission on 23 March 2022, and amended (...)

State aid: Commission prolongs and amends Temporary Crisis Framework* Today, the European Commission has adopted an amendment to the State aid Temporary Crisis Framework to enable Member States to continue to use the flexibility foreseen under State aid rules to support the economy in the (...)

State aid: Commission opens in-depth investigation into Hungarian support for new auto parts plant in Észak Magyarország* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether public support that Hungary plans to grant for the construction of a new automotive (...)

State aid: Commission further consults Member States on prolongation and adjustment of Temporary Crisis Framework* The European Commission is further consulting Member States on a prolongation and adjustment of the State aid Temporary Crisis Framework to support the economy in the context of (...)

Antitrust: Commission provides guidance on its leniency policy and practice* The European Commission has published guidance that aims to facilitate leniency applications by providing further transparency, predictability and accessibility to potential leniency applicants. The Commission’s (...)

Mergers: Commission approves Philip Morris International’s acquisition of Swedish Match, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Swedish Match by Philip Morris International. The approval is conditional on full (...)

State aid: Commission adopts revised State aid Framework for research, development and innovation* The European Commission has adopted a revised Communication on State aid rules for research, development and innovation (‘2022 RDI Framework’), which sets out the rules under which Member (...)

Mergers: Commission approves KPS acquisition of Real Alloy Europe, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Evergreen Holding Germany GmbH and Real Alloy UK Holdco Ltd (‘Real Alloy Europe’) by KPS Special (...)

State aid: Commission approves €500 million Spanish scheme under the Recovery and Resilience Facility to support roll out of broadband backhaul networks in rural areas* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €500 million Spanish scheme made available through the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €10 billion Polish scheme to compensate energy-intensive companies for indirect emission costs* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a Polish scheme to partially compensate energy-intensive companies for higher electricity prices (...)

State aid: Commission approves €220 million Spanish measure to support COBRA in production of renewable hydrogen* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €220 million Spanish measure to support Cobra Instalaciones y Servicios, S.A. (‘COBRA’) in the production of (...)

Competition: Second EU-US Joint Technology Competition Policy Dialogue consolidates international cooperation on competition policy and enforcement in technology sector* Today, European Commission Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, US Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan and (...)

State aid: Commission approves €10 million Slovak scheme to support food producers in context of Russia’s war against Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €10 million Slovak scheme to support agricultural product processors and the food production sector in the context of Russia’s (...)

State aid: Commission approves €150 million Finnish strategic reserve to support security of electricity supply* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €150 million Finnish capacity mechanism to safeguard security of electricity supply in Finland. The measure will (...)

Mergers: Commission approves Celanese’s acquisition of DuPont’s Mobility and Materials Business, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of DuPont’s Mobility and Materials Business by Celanese. The approval is (...)

Antitrust: Commission sends Statement of Objections to Teva over misuse of the patent system and disparagement of rival multiple sclerosis medicine* The European Commission has informed Teva of its preliminary view that the company has breached EU antitrust rules by engaging in practices (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.1 billion Slovakian aid schemes partially funded under Recovery and Resilience Facility to help industry decarbonise production processes and become less energy-intensive* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, two Slovak schemes (...)

State aid: Commission consults Member States on proposal to prolong and amend Temporary Crisis Framework* The European Commission has sent to Member States for consultation a draft proposal to prolong and adjust the State aid Temporary Crisis Framework, adopted by the Commission on 23 March (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1 billion German measure to support Salzgitter decarbonise its steel production by using hydrogen* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €1 billion German measure to help Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH (‘Salzgitter’) decarbonise its (...)

State aid: Commission approves €292.5 million Italian measure under Recovery and Resilience Facility to support STMicroelectronics in construction of a plant in the semiconductor value chain* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €292.5 million Italian measure (...)

State aid: Commission approves €800 million Greek scheme to support non-household electricity consumers in context of Russia’s war against Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €800 million Greek scheme to support non-household electricity consumers in the context of Russia’s war (...)

State aid: Commission approves €134 million German measure to support BASF in the production of renewable hydrogen* he European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €134 million German measure to support BASF SE (‘BASF’) in the production of renewable hydrogen, with the aims (...)

Competition: Commission adopts a more flexible antitrust Informal Guidance Notice; withdraws Antitrust COVID Temporary Framework* The European Commission has today adopted a revised Informal Guidance Notice that allows businesses to seek informal guidance on the application of EU competition (...)

State aid: Commission approves €450 million German measure to replace electricity generation amid Russian natural gas shortages* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a temporary German measure to enable five lignite-fired power plants to be on stand-by and ready to (...)

Antitrust: Commission upgrades eLeniency tool to grant companies online access to leniency and settlement documents* The European Commission has upgraded its online platform “eLeniency” to ensure that companies who are parties to cartel and antitrust proceedings can easily and securely (...)

State aid: Commission approves €2 billion Italian guarantee scheme for the reinsurance of natural gas and electricity trade credit risk in context of Russia’s war against Ukraine* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €2 billion Italian scheme for the reinsurance (...)

State aid: Commission approves €390 million Romanian scheme under Recovery and Resilience Facility to support high-efficient cogeneration of electricity and heat* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €390 million Romania scheme, made available in part through the (...)

Antitrust: Commission adopts Guidelines on collective agreements by solo self-employed people* The European Commission has adopted today its Guidelines on the application of EU competition law to collective agreements (‘Guidelines’) regarding the working conditions of solo self-employed (...)

State aid: Commission approves €700 million Italian scheme to support companies in context of Russia’s war against Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €700 million Italian scheme to support companies in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The scheme was approved under (...)

State aid: Commission approves additional German measures to support electricity production from renewable energy sources* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, three additional measures to support electricity production from renewable energy sources in Germany. The (...)

State Aid: Commission approves up to €5.2 billion of public support by thirteen Member States for the second Important Project of Common European Interest in the hydrogen value chain* The Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a second Important Project of Common European (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.5 billion Romanian scheme to compensate energy-intensive companies for indirect emission costs* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a Romanian scheme to partially compensate energy-intensive companies for higher electricity prices (...)

State aid: Commission approves €4 billion Romanian scheme to support companies in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €4 billion (approximately RON 19.7 billion) Romanian scheme to support companies across sectors in the context of Russia’s (...)

State aid: 2021 Scoreboard shows that COVID-19 State aid measures allowed for unprecedented levels of support while preserving the level-playing field* The 2021 State Aid Scoreboard, published today by the European Commission and relating to State aid expenditure in 2020, shows the crucial (...)

NextGenerationEU: European Commission endorses the Netherlands’ €4.7 billion recovery and resilience plan* The European Commission has today given a positive assessment of the Netherlands’ recovery and resilience plan. This is a key step paving the way for the EU to disburse €4.7 billion in (...)

Mergers: Commission prohibits acquisition of GRAIL by Illumina* The European Commission has prohibited, under the EU Merger Regulation, the implemented acquisition of GRAIL by Illumina. The merger would have stifled innovation, and reduced choice in the emerging market for blood-based early (...)

State aid: Commission approves Greek scheme under Recovery and Resilience Facility to support development of electricity storage facilities* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a Greek measure with an estimated budget of €341 million to support the construction (...)

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 2021 period and provides an overview of FDI trends and screening in (...)

Antitrust: Commission publishes market study on hotels’ distribution practices* The European Commission published today the results of an external market study on the distribution practices of hotels in the EU. The market study was conducted in 2021 and covers the period between 2017 and (...)

State aid: Commission approves Italian market conform scheme to manage publicly guaranteed loans* The European Commission has found Italy’s plan to enable the transfer of certain State guaranteed loans to a newly created platform managed by AMCO S.p.A. to be free of any State aid. The (...)

State aid: Commission approves €27.5 billion German scheme to compensate energy-intensive companies for indirect emission costs The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a German scheme to partially compensate energy-intensive companies for higher electricity prices (...)

State aid: Commission approves €835 million Dutch scheme to compensate energy-intensive companies for indirect emission costs* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a Dutch scheme to partially compensate energy-intensive companies for higher electricity prices (...)

State aid: Commission approves €687 million Finnish scheme to compensate energy-intensive companies for indirect emission costs* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a Finnish scheme to partially compensate energy-intensive companies for higher electricity prices (...)

State aid: Commission approves €125 million Estonian scheme to support companies in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €125 million Estonian scheme to support the liquidity needs of companies across sectors in the context of Russia’s invasion of (...)

State aid: Commission approves €218 million Bulgarian scheme to support agricultural producers in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €218 million (BGN 426 million) Bulgarian scheme to support certain agricultural producers in the context of (...)

State aid: Commission approves modifications to Polish scheme, including €5.1 billion budget increase, to support companies in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved modifications, including a budget increase of €5.1 billion (PLN 24.5 billion), to an (...)

State aid: Commission clears financing of Post Danmark’s universal service obligation* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, Denmark’s compensation to Post Danmark for its universal postal service obligation in 2020. Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, in (...)

State aid: Commission finds no aid given to Greek industrial parks manager ETVA VIPE* The European Commission has concluded that certain public measures in favour of industrial park manager ETVA Industrial Areas SA (‘ETVA VIPE’) do not constitute State aid within the meaning of EU rules. (...)

Antitrust: Commission seeks feedback on performance of exemption for liner shipping consortia* The European Commission has launched today a call for evidence inviting feedback on the performance of the EU legal framework which exempts liner shipping consortia from EU antitrust rules (...)

State aid: Commission approves €149 million Romanian scheme under Recovery and Resilience Facility to support renewable hydrogen production* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €149 million Romanian scheme made available through the Recovery and Resilience (...)

State aid: Commission approves Italian scheme under Recovery and Resilience Facility to support biomethane production* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, an Italian scheme made available through the Recovery and Resilience Facility (’RRF’) to support the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €110 million Austrian scheme to support agricultural producers in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €110 million Austrian scheme to support primary agricultural producers in the context of Russia’s invasion of (...)

State aid: Commission approves 2022-2027 regional aid map for Denmark* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules Denmark’s map for granting regional aid from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2027 within the framework of the revised Regional aid Guidelines (‘RAG’). The (...)

State aid: Commission approves revised commitments by Italy for Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a set of revised commitments submitted by Italy, replacing the original commitments on the basis of which the Commission had (...)

State aid: Commission approves €2.98 billion German scheme to promote green district heating* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €2.98 billion German scheme to promote green district heating based on renewable energy and waste heat. The measure will contribute (...)

Mergers: Commission approves D’Ieteren’s acquisition of PHE, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, D’Ieteren’s acquisition of PHE. The approval is conditional on full compliance with commitments offered by D’Ieteren. Executive (...)

State aid: Commission approves €181.5 million Latvian schemes to support companies in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved two Latvian schemes with a total budget of €181.5 million to support small and medium-sized enterprises (‘SMEs’) and large (...)

State aid: Commission approves €2.9 billion Italian scheme to support companies in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €2.9 billion Italian scheme to support the liquidity needs of companies in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The (...)

Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into the proposed acquisition of VOO and Brutélé by Orange* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed acquisition of VOO and Brutélé by Orange under the EU Merger Regulation. The Commission is (...)

State aid: Commission approves €215 million German support to compensate Deutsche Bahn for damages suffered by its subsidiaries due to the coronavirus pandemic* The European Commission has found a €215 million German support measure in favour of Deutsche Bahn AG to be in line with EU State (...)

State aid: Commission clears financing of Czech Post’s universal service obligation* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, Czechia’s plans to compensate Czech Post for its universal postal service obligation over the period 2018-2022. Executive Vice-President (...)

State aid: Commission approves €500 million Irish scheme to support investment towards a sustainable recovery* The European Commission has approved a €500 million Irish investment support scheme aimed at incentivizing companies to accelerate or expand capital investment in Ireland, including (...)

State aid: Commission amends the Temporary Crisis Framework* Today, the European Commission adopted an amendment to the State aid Temporary Crisis Framework, initially adopted on 23 March 2022 to support the economy in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Executive Vice-President (...)

State aid: Commission approves €700 million Italian scheme to support companies in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €700 million Italian scheme to support companies in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The scheme was approved under (...)

State aid: Commission approves €10 billion Italian scheme to support companies in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €10 billion Italian loan guarantee scheme to support companies across sectors in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The (...)

Mergers: Commission approves Bouygues’ acquisition of Equans, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, Bouygues’ acquisition of Equans. The approval is conditional on full compliance with commitments offered by Bouygues. Executive (...)

State aid: Commission approves Belgian postal service compensation to bpost* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, Belgium’s plans to compensate bpost for providing postal services of general economic interest between 2022 and 2026. Executive Vice-President (...)

Mergers: Commission alleges Illumina and GRAIL breached EU merger rules by early implementation of their acquisition* The European Commission has sent a Statement of Objections alleging that Illumina and GRAIL breached the EU Merger Regulation by implementing the acquisition while the (...)

State aid: Commission approves 2022-2027 regional aid map for Belgium* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules Belgium’s map for granting regional aid from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2027 within the framework of the revised Regional aid Guidelines (’RAG’). The (...)

State Aid: Commission approves up to €5.4 billion of public support by fifteen Member States for an Important Project of Common European Interest in the hydrogen technology value chain* The Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, an Important Project of Common European Interest (...)

State aid: Commission approves €2 billion Finnish scheme to support companies in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €2 billion Finnish loan and guarantee scheme to support small and medium enterprises (‘SMEs’) and large companies in the context of (...)

State aid: Commission approves €20.2 million Czech scheme to support agricultural producers in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €20.2 million (CZK 500 million) Czech scheme to support primary agricultural producers in the context of Russia’s (...)

Antitrust: Commission seeks feedback on commitments offered by Amazon concerning marketplace seller data and access to Buy Box and Prime* The European Commission invites comments on commitments offered by Amazon to address competition concerns over its use of non-public marketplace seller (...)

State aid: Commission approves €5 billion German scheme to support energy and trade intensive companies in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €5 billion German scheme to support energy and trade intensive companies across industrial sectors in the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €526.5 million Italian scheme to support the road haulage sector in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €526.5 million Italian scheme to support the road haulage sector in the context of Russia’s invasion of (...)

State aid: Commission approves Dutch scheme to support the filling of the gas storage facility Bergermeer in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved an up to €406.4 million Dutch scheme to support the filling of the gas storage facility Bergermeer in the (...)

Antitrust: Commission accepts commitments from T-Mobile CZ, CETIN and O2 CZ on Czech network sharing* The European Commission has made commitments offered by T-Mobile CZ, CETIN and O2 CZ, as well as their parent companies Deutsche Telekom and PPF Group, legally binding under EU antitrust (...)

State aid: Commission consults Member States on proposal to amend Temporary Crisis Framework* The European Commission has sent to Member States for consultation a draft proposal to adjust the State aid Temporary Crisis Framework, initially adopted on 23 March 2022 to support the economy in (...)

Antitrust: Commission sends Statement of Objections to Alcogroup and Agroetanol over alleged ethanol benchmarks cartel* The European Commission has informed Alcogroup S.A. and its subsidiary Alcodis S.A. (together ‘Alcogroup’) as well as Lantmännen ek för and its subsidiary Lantmännen (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.2 billion Italian scheme under Recovery and Resilience Facility to support investments in photovoltaic panels in agricultural sector* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €1.2 billion Italian scheme made available through the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €500 million Croatian scheme to support companies in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved an up to €500 million Croatian scheme to support companies across sectors in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The (...)

Antitrust: Commission invites comments on draft proposals for the future of the Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation and Supplementary Guidelines* The European Commission launched today a public consultation and a call for evidence inviting all interested parties to comment on its draft (...)

Antitrust: Commission confirms unannounced inspections in the online food delivery sector* The European Commission carried out unannounced inspections at the premises of companies active in the online ordering and delivery of food, groceries and other consumer goods in two Member States. (...)

State aid: Commission proposes rules to simplify procedures for State aid to green transport* The European Commission has proposed a Council Regulation enabling the Commission to exempt from prior notification under EU State aid rules certain types of aid for rail, inland waterway and (...)

State aid: Commission approves €154 million Swedish scheme to support livestock and greenhouse producers in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €154 million (SEK 1,635 million) Swedish scheme to support the livestock sector and the greenhouse (...)

Digital Services Package: Commission welcomes the adoption by the European Parliament of the EU’s new rulebook for digital services* The Commission welcomes the adoption by the European Parliament of the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act, proposed by the Commission in December (...)

State aid: Commission approves €5 billion French scheme to support energy intensive companies in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €5 billion French scheme to support energy intensive companies across sectors in the context of Russia’s invasion (...)

Antitrust: Commission accepts commitments by Insurance Ireland to ensure access to its data sharing platform* The European Commission has made commitments offered by Insurance Ireland, an association of Irish insurers, legally binding under EU antitrust rules. Insurance Ireland must ensure (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.2 billion Polish scheme to support companies in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €1.2 billion Polish scheme (PLN 5.5 billion) to support companies across sectors in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. (...)

State Aid: Commission opens in-depth investigation into Czech support for new nuclear power plant in Dukovany* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether public support that Czechia plans to grant for the construction of a new nuclear power plant in (...)

State aid: Commission approves €140 million Slovenian scheme to support companies in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €140 million Slovenian scheme to support companies across sectors in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The scheme (...)

Foreign Subsidies: Commission welcomes political agreement on Regulation on distortive foreign subsidies* The Commission welcomes the political agreement reached today between the European Parliament and EU Member States on the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (‘FSR’). The FSR is an important (...)

Antitrust: Commission seeks feedback on performance of EU antitrust enforcement framework* The European Commission has launched today a call for evidence and a public consultation inviting feedback on the performance of the EU Regulations which lay out the procedures for the application of (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1 million Croatian scheme to support maize seed producers in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €1 million (HRK 7.5 million) Croatian scheme to support maize seed producers in the context of Russia’s invasion of (...)

Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into the proposed acquisition of OMV Slovenija by MOL* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed acquisition of OMV Slovenija by MOL under the EU Merger Regulation. The Commission is concerned that the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.14 billion Hungarian scheme to support companies in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €1.14 billion (HUF 442.37 billion) Hungarian scheme to support companies across sectors in the context of Russia’s invasion of (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.7 billion Italian scheme to support investment towards a sustainable recovery* The European Commission has approved a €1.7 billion Italian scheme aimed at providing investment support towards a sustainable recovery. The scheme was approved under the State (...)

State aid: Commission approves €374 million Italian scheme to compensate rail freight transport companies for the damage suffered due to the coronavirus pandemic* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, €374 million Italian support to compensate rail freight transport (...)

State aid: Commission approves €3.9 million Estonian scheme to support agricultural producers in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €3.9 million Estonian scheme to support the beef, poultry and horticulture sectors in the context of Russia’s (...)

State aid: Commission approves €500 million Romanian scheme under Recovery and Resilience Facility to support the establishment of new forest areas* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €500 million Romanian scheme made available through the Recovery and (...)

Antitrust: Commission opens investigation into possible anticompetitive disparagement by Vifor Pharma of iron medicine* The European Commission has opened a formal antitrust investigation to assess whether Vifor Pharma has restricted competition by illegally disparaging its closest – and (...)

State aid: Commission approves €226 million Hungarian scheme to support SMEs in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €226 million (HUF 90 billion) Hungarian scheme to support small and medium-sized enterprises (‘SMEs’) across sectors in the context (...)

Mergers: Commission approves Ali Group’s acquisition of Welbilt, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Welbilt by Ali Group. The approval is conditional on full compliance with commitments offered by Ali (...)

State aid: Commission approves award of slots at Lisbon airport to easyJet following TAP Group’s restructuring* The European Commission has ranked easyJet first among the air carriers that have applied for the portfolio of up to 18 daily slots at Lisbon airport. The slots will be made (...)

Antitrust: Commission carries out unannounced inspections in the water infrastructure sector over alleged bid-rigging* The European Commission is conducting unannounced inspections in a Member State at the premises of companies active in the construction of networks and treatment plants for (...)

State aid: Commission approves 500 million Finnish scheme to support companies in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved an €500 million scheme to support companies active in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The scheme was approved under the (...)

Antitrust: Commission sends Statement of Objections to České dráhy and Österreichische Bundesbahnen over alleged collective boycott* The European Commission has informed České dráhy (‘ČD’) and Österreichische Bundesbahnen (‘ÖBB’), the Czech and Austrian rail incumbents, of its preliminary (...)

State aid: Commission approves €400 million Portuguese recapitalisation scheme to support companies affected by the coronavirus pandemic* The European Commission has approved a €400 million Portuguese scheme to support strategic companies affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The scheme was (...)

State aid: Commission approves Spanish and Portuguese measure to lower electricity prices amid energy crisis* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €8.4 billion Spanish and Portuguese measure aimed at reducing the wholesale electricity prices in the Iberian market (...)

State aid: Commission approves €453.25 million Portuguese restructuring aid in favour of SATA Group* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, Portugal’s plans to grant air carrier SATA Air Açores (‘SATA’) restructuring aid for a total amount of €453.25 million. The (...)

State aid: Commission approves €160 million Portuguese scheme to support gas intensive companies in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €160 million Portuguese scheme to support gas intensive companies in the context of Russia’s invasion of (...)

State aid: Commission opens in-depth investigation into Czech support measure for Digital Terrestrial Television operators* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether public support that Czechia plans to grant in favour of Digital Terrestrial Television (...)

State aid: Commission approves 2022-2027 regional aid map for Finland* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules Finland’s map for granting regional aid from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2027, within the framework of the revised Regional aid Guidelines (’RAG’). The (...)

State aid: Commission approves €10 billion Spanish scheme to support companies in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved an up to €10 billion Spanish scheme (“National Guarantee Scheme”) to support self-employed and companies across sectors in the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €20 million Lithuanian scheme to support companies in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €20 million Lithuanian scheme to support companies across sectors in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The scheme (...)

State aid: Commission approves €50 million Greek scheme to support the livestock sector in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €50 million Greek scheme to support the livestock sector in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The scheme was (...)

State aid: Commission approves €60.7 million Romanian scheme to support the road transport sector in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €60.7 million (RON 300 million) Romanian scheme to support companies active in road transport of goods and (...)

State aid: Commission approves €500 million Luxembourgish scheme to support companies in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €500 million Luxembourgish guarantee scheme to support companies across sectors in the context of Russia’s invasion of (...)

State aid: Commission approves €16 million Finnish scheme to support farmers in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €16 million Finnish scheme to support the agricultural sector in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The scheme was (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.2 billion Italian scheme to support agricultural, forestry, fishery and aquaculture sectors in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €1.2 billion Italian umbrella scheme to support the agricultural, forestry, fishery (...)

State aid: Commission approves a €30 million Maltese scheme to support the importation, manufacturing and wholesale of grains in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €30 million Maltese scheme to support companies active in the importation, (...)

State aid: Commission approves 2022-2027 regional aid map for Northern Ireland* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules and in line with the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland annexed to the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and (...)

Antitrust: Commission carries out unannounced inspections in the fashion sector* On 17 May the European Commission has started unannounced inspections at the premises of companies active in the fashion industry in several Member States. In parallel, the Commission has sent out formal (...)

State aid: Commission approves €404 million Swedish scheme to help disadvantaged workers access the labour market* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a Swedish scheme of around €404 million (SEK 4.2 billion) to help disadvantaged workers access the labour market. (...)

State aid: Commission approves €2 billion Greek scheme to support investment towards a sustainable recovery* The European Commission has approved a €2 billion Greek scheme aimed at providing investment support towards a sustainable recovery. The scheme was approved under the State aid (...)

State aid: Commission will phase out state aid Covid Temporary Framework* The European Commission will phase out the State aid COVID Temporary Framework, adopted on 19 March 2020 and last amended on 18 November 2021, enabling Member States to remedy a serious disturbance in the economy in (...)

State aid: Commission approves €698 million Italian scheme to support the tourism sector in the context of coronavirus pandemic* The European Commission has approved a €698 million Italian scheme to support companies active in the tourism sector affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The (...)

Antitrust: Commission adopts new Vertical Block Exemption Regulation and Vertical Guidelines* The European Commission has adopted today the new Vertical Block Exemption Regulation (‘VBER’) accompanied by the new Vertical Guidelines, following a thorough evaluation and review of the 2010 (...)

Antitrust: Commission sends Statement of Objections to Apple over practices regarding Apple Pay* The European Commission has informed Apple of its preliminary view that it abused its dominant position in markets for mobile wallets on iOS devices. By limiting access to a standard technology (...)

State aid: Commission approves €169 million Spanish scheme to support milk producers in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €169 million Spanish scheme to support the milk producers sector in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The scheme (...)

State aid: Commission approves €700 million French scheme to support research, development and innovation projects across all sectors* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €700 million French scheme to support research, development and innovation projects by (...)

State aid: Commission approves €18 million Irish scheme to support the road haulage sector in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved an €18 million Irish scheme to support the road haulage sector in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The (...)

State aid: Commission approves €130 million Lithuanian scheme to support companies affected by discriminatory trade restrictions* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €130 million Lithuanian scheme to support and facilitate access to finance by companies affected (...)

State aid: Commission approves €2 billion Italian scheme under the Recovery and Resilience Facility to support roll out of 5G mobile networks* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €2 billion Italian scheme made available through the Recovery and Resilience (...)

Statement by Executive Vice-President Vestager on the decision by Kingspan and European Architectural Systems to abandon the proposed transaction involving the purchase of Trimo* The European Commission takes note of the decision by Kingspan and European Architectural Systems (i.e. the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €7 billion French scheme to support investment towards a sustainable recovery* The European Commission has approved a €7 billion French scheme aimed at providing investment support towards a sustainable recovery. The scheme was approved under the State aid (...)

State aid: Commission approves €836 million Polish scheme to support agricultural sector in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a €836 million (PLN 3.9 billion) Polish scheme to support the agricultural sector in the context of Russia’s invasion of (...)

State aid: Commission approves €20 billion German scheme to support companies in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved an up to €20 billion German scheme to support companies active in all sectors in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The (...)

State aid: Commission approves €250 million Portuguese measure under the Recovery and Resilience Facility to further capitalise Banco Português de Fomento* The European Commission approved, under EU State aid rules, a €250 million Portuguese aid measure, made available through the Recovery (...)

Mergers: Commission approves Parker’s acquisition of Meggitt, subject to conditions * The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Meggitt by Parker. The approval is conditional on full compliance with commitments offered by Parker. (...)

State aid: Commission approves French liquidity scheme to support companies in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* The European Commission has approved a French scheme that enables up to €155 billion in liquidity support for companies across all sectors in the context of Russia’s (...)

Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into proposed acquisition of Pfleiderer Polska by Kronospan* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed acquisition of Pfleiderer Polska by Kronospan, under the EU Merger Regulation. The Commission is (...)

Mergers: Commission partially refers acquisition of a part of McKesson by Phoenix to France’s competition authority and clears proposed merger outside France* The European Commission has partially referred the proposed acquisition of a part of McKesson by Phoenix to the French competition (...)

On 29 March 2022, the European Commission carried out unannounced inspections at the premises of several companies in Germany active in the supply, transmission and storage of natural gas. The Commission has concerns that the inspected companies may have violated EU competition rules that (...)

Remarks by Executive Vice-President Vestager for the political agreement on the Digital Markets Act* "Check against delivery" It is less than 18 months ago that the Commission tabled the two proposals for the Digital Markets Act and the Digital Service act. And here we are today. And with (...)

Digital Markets Act: Commission welcomes political agreement on rules to ensure fair and open digital markets* The Commission welcomes the swift political agreement reached yesterday between the European Parliament and EU Member States on the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The regulation, (...)

State aid: Commission adopts Temporary Crisis Framework to support the economy in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine* Today, the European Commission has adopted a Temporary Crisis Framework to enable Member States to use the flexibility foreseen under State aid rules to support the (...)

State aid: Commission approves 2022-2027 regional aid map for Ireland* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules Ireland’s map for granting regional aid from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2027 within the framework of the revised Regional aid Guidelines (’RAG’). The (...)

State aid: Commission approves €209 million Hungarian aid for construction of SK On Hungary’s electric vehicle battery plant* The European Commission has found that Hungary’s €209 million measure in favour of SK On Hungary is in line with EU State aid rules. The investment aid will support (...)

State aid: Commission approves €2 billion Austrian scheme under Recovery and Resilience Facility to support roll out of broadband networks* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €2 billion Austrian aid scheme made available through the Recovery and Resilience (...)

State aid: Commission approves €120 million Spanish scheme under Recovery and Resilience Facility to support sustainable rail freight transport* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €120 million Spanish scheme made available through the Recovery and Resilience (...)

State aid: Commission approves €95 million Polish aid for expansion of LG Chem’s electric vehicles battery plant* The European Commission has found that Poland’s €95 million measure in favour of LG Chem Group (‘LG Chem’) is in line with EU State aid rules. The investment aid will support (...)

State aid: Commission approves 2022-2027 regional aid map for Spain* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules Spain’s map for granting regional aid from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2027, within the framework of the revised Regional aid Guidelines (’RAG’). The revised (...)

State aid: Commission approves €2.9 billion Spanish scheme to compensate energy-intensive companies for indirect emission costs* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a Spanish scheme to partially compensate energy-intensive companies for higher electricity prices (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.4 billion Czech scheme to compensate energy-intensive companies for indirect emission costs* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a Czech scheme to partially compensate energy-intensive companies for higher electricity prices (...)

Mergers: Commission approves acquisition of MGM by Amazon* The European Commission has approved unconditionally, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of MGM Holdings Inc. (‘MGM’) by Amazon.com Inc (‘Amazon’). The Commission concluded that the transaction would raise no (...)

Antitrust: Commission carries out unannounced inspections in the automotive sector* On 15 March 2022, the European Commission has conducted unannounced inspections at the premises of companies and associations active in the automotive sector located in several Member States. In parallel, the (...)

Antitrust: Commission opens investigation into possible anticompetitive conduct by Google and Meta, in online display advertising* The European Commission has opened a formal antitrust investigation to assess whether an agreement between Google and Meta (formerly Facebook) for online (...)

State aid: Commission opens in-depth investigation into Greek support measures in favour of postal operator Hellenic Post (ELTA)* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether certain Greek support measures in favour of ELTA are in line with EU State aid (...)

State aid: Commission approves 2022-2027 regional aid map for Luxembourg* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules Luxembourg’s map for granting regional aid from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2027, within the framework of the revised Regional aid Guidelines (’RAG’). (...)

State aid: Commission approves 2022-2027 regional aid map for Malta* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules Malta’s map for granting regional aid from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2027, within the framework of the revised Regional aid Guidelines (’RAG’). The revised (...)

State aid: Commission approves €2 billion Hungarian investment support scheme towards a sustainable recovery* The European Commission has approved a €2 billion Hungarian scheme aimed at providing investment support towards a sustainable recovery. The scheme was approved under the State aid (...)

State aid: Commission approves €687 million Italian scheme to compensate commercial rail passenger operators for the damage suffered due to the coronavirus pandemic* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, €687 million Italian support to compensate providers of (...)

Antitrust: Commission invites comments on draft revised rules on horizontal cooperation agreements between companies* The European Commission has launched today a public consultation inviting all interested parties to comment on two draft revised Horizontal Block Exemption Regulations on (...)

Antitrust: Commission consults stakeholders on sustainability agreements in agriculture* The European Commission is inviting stakeholders such as primary producers, processors, manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and input providers to share their experience with agreements aimed at (...)

Antitrust: Commission seeks feedback on commitments offered by Insurance Ireland concerning access to its data sharing platform* The European Commission invites comments on commitments offered by Insurance Ireland, an association of Irish insurers, to address competition concerns regarding (...)

Mergers: Commission clears the merger of Cargotec with Konecranes, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed merger between Cargotec and Konecranes. The approval is conditional on the divestiture of certain businesses. (...)

Mergers: Commission finds that Hungary’s veto over the acquisition of AEGON’s Hungarian subsidiaries by VIG breached Article 21 of the EU Merger Regulation* The European Commission has concluded that Hungary’s decision to veto the acquisition of the Hungarian subsidiaries of the AEGON Group (...)

The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules Cyprus’s map for granting regional aid from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2027, within the framework of the revised Regional aid Guidelines (’RAG’). The revised RAG, adopted by the Commission on 19 April 2021 and in force since 1 (...)

Mergers: Commission finds that Hungary’s veto over the acquisition of AEGON’s Hungarian subsidiaries by VIG breached Article 21 of the EU Merger Regulation* The European Commission has concluded that Hungary’s decision to veto the acquisition of the Hungarian subsidiaries of the AEGON Group (...)

State aid: Commission approves 2022-2027 regional aid map for Portugal* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules Portugal’s map for granting regional aid from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2027, within the framework of the revised Regional aid Guidelines(’RAG’). The (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.7 billion German measure to recapitalise Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg in the context of the coronavirus pandemic* The European Commission has approved German plans to grant up to €1.7 billion for the recapitalisation of Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg Gmbh (...)

State aid: Commission opens in-depth investigation into German support measures in favour of DB Cargo* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether certain German support measures in favour of DB Cargo are in line with EU State aid rules. DB Cargo is a (...)

State aid: Commission approves €3.8 billion Italian scheme under Recovery and Resilience Facility to support deployment of Gigabit networks* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €3.8 billion Italian scheme made available through the Recovery and Resilience (...)

Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of Kustomer by Meta (formerly Facebook), subject to conditions* The European Commission has today approved under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of Kustomer by Meta (formerly Facebook). The approval is conditional on full compliance (...)

State aid: Commission approves restructuring aid of up to around €2.7 billion for Romanian power company Complexul Energetic Oltenia SA* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, Romania’s plans to grant power company Complexul Energetic Oltenia SA (‘CE Oltenia’) (...)

State aid: Commission approves 2022-2027 regional aid map for France* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules the map of France for granting regional aid from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2027 within the framework of the revised Regional aid Guidelines (‘RAG’). The (...)

State aid: Commission approves 2022-2027 regional aid map for Austria* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules Austria’s map for granting regional aid from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2027 within the framework of the revised Regional aid Guidelines (’RAG’). The (...)

Antitrust: Commission publishes final report on consumer Internet of Things sector inquiry* The European Commission has published today the findings of its competition sector inquiry into the consumer Internet of Things (IoT). The final report and its accompanying staff working document (...)

State aid: Commission approves €20 million Spanish scheme under Recovery and Resilience Facility to support deployment of intelligent transportation systems* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €20 million Spanish scheme made available through the Recovery and (...)

Mergers: Commission prohibits proposed acquisition of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering by Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings* The European Commission has prohibited, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering CO., Ltd (DSME) by (...)

State aid: Commission invites comments on proposed revision of EU State aid rules for agriculture, forestry and fishery sectors* The European Commission is inviting all interested parties to comment on proposed revised State aid rules for the agricultural, forestry and fishery sectors. The (...)

State aid: Commission approves €24 million Hungarian investment aid to Volta Energy Solutions’ battery copper foil plant* The European Commission has found Hungary’s €24 million investment aid to Volta Energy Solutions for the extension of a battery copper foil plant in the Hungarian region (...)

State aid: Commission approves 2022-2027 regional aid map for Greece* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules Greece’s map for granting regional aid from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2027 within the framework of the revised Regional aid Guidelines (‘RAG’). The (...)

State aid: Commission invites comments on proposed revision of Guidelines on State aid for railway companies* The European Commission has launched today a public consultation on EU Survey inviting all interested parties to comment on a proposed revision of the 2008 Guidelines on State aid (...)

State aid: Commission approves €57.4 million restructuring aid to Croatian mechanical engineering company Ðuro Ðaković* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, Croatia’s plans to grant mechanical engineering company Ðuro Ðaković d.d. (‘Đuro Đaković) restructuring aid (...)

State aid: Commission approves €88 million German support to compensate Deutsche Bahn for damages suffered by its subsidiary DB Cargo due to the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has found a €88 million German support measure in favour of Deutsche Bahn AG to be in line with EU (...)

State aid: Commission approves €71.4 million Portuguese measure to further compensate TAP Air Portugal for damages suffered due to coronavirus pandemic* Today, the European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €71.4 million Portuguese aid measure to further support TAP Air (...)

State aid: Commission approves €9.8 million Belgian measure to recapitalise Brussels South Charleroi Airport in the context of the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved Belgian plans to grant up to €19.2 million for the recapitalisation of the Brussels South Charleroi (...)

Mergers: Commission approves acquisition of Nuance by Microsoft* The European Commission has approved unconditionally, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Nuance Communications, Inc. (‘Nuance’) by Microsoft Corporation (‘Microsoft’). The Commission concluded that the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €2.55 billion Portuguese restructuring aid in favour of TAP Group and €107 million compensation for damages suffered due to coronavirus pandemic* Today, the European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules: (i) €2.55 billion of restructuring aid to (...)

State aid: Commission endorses the new Guidelines on State aid for Climate, Environmental protection and Energy* The College of Commissioners today endorsed the new Guidelines on State aid for climate, environmental protection and energy (‘CEEAG’). The CEEAG will be formally adopted in (...)

State aid: Commission approves €900 million German scheme to support investments in production of renewable hydrogen* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €900 million German scheme to support investments in the production of renewable hydrogen in non-EU (...)

State aid: Commission approves 2022-2027 regional aid map for Romania* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules Romania’s map for granting regional aid from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2027, within the framework of the revised Regional aid Guidelines (’RAG’). The (...)

State aid: Commission approves Austrian scheme to support production of electricity from renewable energy sources* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, an Austrian aid scheme to support electricity production from renewable sources. The measure will help Austria (...)

Mergers: Commission clears Derichebourg’s acquisition of Groupe Ecore, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Groupe Ecore by Derichebourg. The approval is conditional on full compliance with a commitments (...)

State aid: Commission approves €150 million Spanish scheme under Recovery and Resilience Facility to support deployment of passive infrastructure for mobile networks* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €150 million Spanish scheme made available through the (...)

State aid: Commission approves Greek support for the construction of Patra-Pyrgos section of Olympia Odos Motorway* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, Greek public funding of around €217 million for the construction of the Patra-Pyrgos section of the Olympia Odos (...)

State aid: Commission approves €610 million voucher scheme to support access to high-speed broadband services by small and medium enterprises in Italy* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €610 million Italian voucher scheme to help small and medium enterprises (...)

State aid: Commission approves 2022-2027 regional aid map for Bulgaria* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules Bulgaria’s map for granting regional aid from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2027, within the framework of the revised Regional aid Guidelines (’RAG’). The (...)

State aid: Commission approves 2022-2027 regional aid map for Sweden* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules Sweden’s map for granting regional aid from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2027, within the framework of the revised Regional aid Guidelines (’RAG’). The (...)

State aid: Commission approves 2022-2027 regional aid map for Germany* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules Germany’s map for granting regional aid from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2027, within the framework of the revised Regional aid Guidelines (’RAG’). The (...)

State aid: Commission approves 2022-2027 regional aid map for Latvia* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules Latvia’s map for granting regional aid from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2027, within the framework of the revised Regional aid Guidelines (’RAG’). The (...)

Mergers: Commission approves the acquisition of Suez by Veolia, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Suez by Veolia. The approval is conditional on full compliance with a commitments package offered by (...)

Antitrust: Commission fines former ethanol producer Abengoa € 20 million in cartel settlement* The Commission has fined the Spanish company Abengoa S.A. and its subsidiary Abengoa Bionenergía S.A. (together ‘Abengoa’) € 20 million for participating in a cartel concerning the wholesale price (...)

State aid: Commission approves €783 million Croatian scheme to support production of electricity from renewable energy sources* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a Croatian aid scheme to support electricity production from renewable sources. The measure will (...)

State aid: Commission approves €3 billion scheme under the Spanish Recovery and Resilience Plan to support research, development, innovation, environmental protection and energy efficiency in automotive value chain* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €3 billion (...)

State aid: Commission approves €133 million Swedish scheme to support rail freight and passenger operators affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €133 million (SEK 1,370 million) Swedish scheme to support the rail freight (...)

Competition: EU-US launch Joint Technology Competition Policy Dialogue to foster cooperation in competition policy and enforcement in technology sector* Today, European Commission Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, US Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan and the Assistant (...)

State aid: Commission adopts revised Short-term export-credit insurance Communication* The European Commission has adopted a revised Communication on Short-term export credit insurance(‘STEC Communication’). The STEC Communication lays down rules to (i) ensure that State support to export (...)

State aid: Commission adopts revised Guidelines on State aid to promote risk finance investments* The European Commission has adopted revised Guidelines on State aid to promote risk finance investments(the ’Risk Finance Guidelines’). The revised Guidelines will apply from 1 January 2022. (...)

State aid: Commission approves 2022-2027 regional aid map for Italy* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules Italy’s map for granting regional aid from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2027 within the framework of the revised Regional aid Guidelines (’RAG’). The revised (...)

Antitrust: Commission fines UBS, Barclays, RBS, HSBC and Credit Suisse €344 million for participating in a Foreign Exchange spot trading cartel* The European Commission has completed its cartel investigation into the Foreign Exchange (‘Forex’) spot trading market by imposing fines on five (...)

State aid: Commission approves EUR 700 million French scheme to compensate for damage suffered by certain companies due to the coronavirus pandemic.* The European Commission has approved, under the EU State aid rules, a EUR 700 million French scheme to support certain companies particularly (...)

State aid: Commission approves 2022-2027 regional aid map for Lithuania* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules Lithuania’s map for granting regional aid from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2027, within the framework of the revised Regional aid Guidelines(’RAG’). The (...)

State aid: Commission adopts revised State aid rules on Important Projects of Common European Interest* The European Commission has adopted a revised Communication on State aid rules for Important Projects of Common European Interest (‘IPCEI Communication’). The revised IPCEI Communication (...)

Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into the proposed acquisition of Recticel by Greiner* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed acquisition of Recticel by Greiner under the EU Merger Regulation. The Commission is concerned that the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €2.27 billion Greek aid scheme to support electricity production from renewable energy sources and high efficiency combined heat and power* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €2.27 billion Greek scheme for the production of (...)

State aid: Commission approves 2022-2027 regional aid map for Croatia* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules Croatia’s map for granting regional aid from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2027 within the framework of the revised Regional aid Guidelines (‘RAG’). The (...)

Antitrust: Commission carries out unannounced inspections in the defence sector* On 23 November 2021, the European Commission is conducting unannounced inspections at the premises of a company active in the defence sector. The Commission has concerns that the inspected company may have (...)

State aid: Commission approves 2022-2027 regional aid map for Estonia* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules Estonia’s map for granting regional aid from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2027, within the framework of the revised Regional aid Guidelines (‘RAG’). The (...)

Antitrust: Commission fines Conserve Italia €20 million for participating in canned vegetables cartel* The European Commission has fined Conserve Italia Soc. coop. agricola and its subsidiary Conserves France S.A. (together ‘Conserve Italia’) a total of € 20 000 000 for breaching EU (...)

State Aid: Commission invites comments on proposed revision of EU State aid rules for deployment of broadband networks* The European Commission has today launched a targeted public consultation inviting all interested parties to comment on a proposed revision of the Guidelines on State aid (...)

State aid: Commission sets out future of Temporary Framework to support economic recovery in context of coronavirus outbreak* Today, the European Commission has decided to prolong until 30 June 2022 the State aid Temporary Framework (currently set to expire by 31 December 2021). In order to (...)

Competition: Commission outlines contribution of competition policy and its review to green and digital transition, and to a resilient Single Market* The European Commission has adopted a Communication on a competition policy fit for new challenges, which frames the important role of (...)

State aid: Commission approves €4.5 billion Italian scheme to support companies and the economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €4.5 billion Italian scheme to support companies and the economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The (...)

State aid: Commission approves €173 million aid scheme for charging and refuelling stations for zero and low emission vehicles in Poland* The European Commission has found Polish plans to invest into electric charging and hydrogen-refuelling infrastructure for zero and low emission vehicles (...)

Mergers: Commission adopts interim measures to prevent harm to competition following Illumina’s early acquisition of GRAIL* The European Commission has adopted interim measures to restore and maintain the conditions of effective competition following Illumina’s early acquisition of GRAIL, (...)

Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into proposed acquisition of Arm by NVIDIA* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed acquisition of Arm by NVIDIA under the EU Merger Regulation. The Commission is concerned that the merged entity (...)

Antitrust: Commission carries out unannounced inspections in the animal health sector in Belgium* The European Commission is conducting unannounced inspections at the premises of a pharmaceutical company active in animal health in Belgium. The Commission has concerns that the inspected (...)

Commission approves acquisition of IHS Markit by S&P Global, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of IHS Markit by S&P Global. The approval is conditional on the divestment of businesses in the areas of (...)

Commission approves €31.9 billion Italian scheme to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €31.9 billion Italian scheme to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary (...)

State aid: Commission approves €700 million French scheme for certain retailers and services affected by the coronavirus pandemic* The European Commission has approved, under the EU state aid rules, a €700 million French scheme to support certain retailers and services affected by the (...)

Antitrust: Commission carries out unannounced inspections in the wood pulp sector* On 12 October 2021, the European Commission is conducting unannounced inspections in locations in several Member States at the premises of companies active in the wood pulp sector. The Commission has (...)

State aid: Commission invites comments on draft proposal to further facilitate implementation of aid measures promoting the green and digital transition* The European Commission is inviting Member States and all other interested parties to comment on certain proposed amendments to the (...)

Antitrust: Commission seeks feedback on commitments offered by T-Mobile CZ, CETIN, and O2 CZ concerning the Czech telecommunications market* The European Commission invites comments on commitments offered by T-Mobile CZ, CETIN, O2 CZ, and their respective parent companies, Deutsche Telekom (...)

State aid: Commission clears Italian public support for Laziomar ferry service; closes investigation concerning support to Saremar* The European Commission has concluded that the public service compensation granted since 2011 to Laziomar S.p.A. (‘Laziomar’) for the operation of ferry (...)

Commission Statement on consulting Member States on proposal on the future of the State aid Temporary Framework* Today, the European Commission has sent to Member States for consultation a draft proposal to prolong until 30 June 2022 the State aid Temporary Framework, while setting out the (...)

State aid: Commission approves 2022-2027 regional aid map for Poland* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules Poland’s map for granting regional aid from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2027, within the framework of the revised Regional aid Guidelines (“RAG”). The (...)

Mergers: The Commission adopts a Statement of Objections in view of adopting interim measures following Illumina’s early acquisition of GRAIL* The European Commission has sent a Statement of Objections to Illumina and GRAIL informing them of the interim measures it intends to adopt following (...)

State aid: Commission approves award of slots at Paris-Orly airport to Vueling in context of Air France’s recapitalisation* The European Commission has ranked Vueling first among the air carriers that have applied for the portfolio of up to 18 daily slots at Paris-Orly airport. These will be (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.24 billion Italian scheme to support companies hiring young workers in the context of the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €1.24 billion Italian scheme to support companies hiring young workforce in the context of the coronavirus (...)

State aid: Commission approves 2022-2027 regional aid map for Hungary* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules Hungary’s map for granting regional aid from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2027. The Hungarian regional aid map is among the first maps approved by the (...)

State aid: Commission approves 2022-2027 regional aid map for Slovakia* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules Slovakia’s map for granting regional aid from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2027. The Slovak regional aid map is among the first maps approved by the (...)

Tax exemptions granted by Belgium to multinational companies by way of rulings: the Commission correctly found that there was an aid scheme* The Court of Justice sets aside the judgment delivered on 14 February 2019 by the General Court and refers the case back to the latter for it to rule (...)

State aid: Commission approves €3 billion French scheme to provide debt and capital support to companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, French plans to set up a €3 billion fund that will invest through debt, hybrid and (...)

State aid: Commission concludes Italian loans worth €900 million to Alitalia are illegal aid* The European Commission has concluded that two State loans for an amount of €900 million, granted by Italy to Alitalia in 2017, are illegal under EU State aid rules. Italy must therefore recover the (...)

Antitrust: Commission approves Greek measures to increase access to electricity for PPC’s competitors* The European Commission has made legally binding, under EU antitrust rules, measures proposed by Greece to allow the competitors of Public Power Corporation (PPC), the Greek state-owned (...)

State aid: Commission finds new air carrier ITA is not Alitalia’s economic successor and Italy’s capital injections into ITA are market conform* The European Commission has found that Italia Trasporto Aereo S.p.A. (“ITA”) is not the economic successor of Alitalia and, hence, it is not liable (...)

State aid: €314.6 million capital injection from PostNord to Post Danmark does not constitute State aid; Denmark and Sweden need to recover €66 million of incompatible aid from PostNord* The European Commission has found that an internal capital injection of DKK 2.34 billion (approximately (...)

State aid: Commission approves €520 million Italian scheme to compensate the trade fairs and congress sector for damages suffered due to the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €520 million Italian scheme to compensate companies active in (...)

State aid: Commission approves Belgian Capacity Mechanism* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, Belgium’s capacity mechanism. The measure will contribute to ensuring the security of electricity supply, in particular in view of Belgium’s decision to phase out all (...)

State aid: Commission approves €5.7 billion French scheme to support production of electricity from small solar installations on buildings* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €5.7 billion French aid scheme to support renewable electricity production from small (...)

State aid: Commission approves €500 million Greek aid scheme to support uncovered fixed costs of companies affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a Greek scheme to support the uncovered fixed costs of companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme (...)

State aid: Commission approves €108 million Danish aid measure to support coronavirus-related research and development activities of Bavarian Nordic* The European Commission has approved a €108 million Danish aid measure to support coronavirus-related research and development (R&D) (...)

Mergers: Commission starts investigation for possible breach of the standstill obligation in Illumina / GRAIL transaction* The European Commission has decided to open an investigation to assess whether Illumina’s decision to complete its acquisition of GRAIL, while the Commission’s in-depth (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1 billion Cypriot scheme to support enterprises and self-employed individuals in context of coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €1 billion Cypriot scheme to support enterprises and self-employed individuals in the context of the (...)

State aid: Commission gives green light to new synthetic securitisation product under the European Guarantee Fund to further support SMEs affected by the coronavirus outbreak in 22 Member States* The European Commission approved, under EU State aid rules, the introduction of a new product (...)

State aid: Commission approves €550 million German support to compensate Deutsche Bahn for damages suffered by its subsidiary DB Fernverkehr due to the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has found a €550 million German support measure in favor of Deutsche Bahn AG (“Deutsche Bahn”) (...)

State aid: Commission approves €430 million Italian scheme to compensate ski lift operators for damages suffered due to coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €430 million Italian measure to compensate ski lift operators for the damages (...)

Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into proposed acquisition of Kustomer by Facebook* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed acquisition of Kustomer by Facebook under the EU Merger Regulation. The Commission is concerned that the (...)

State aid: Commission approves German measures worth over €2.5 billion to support rail freight and passenger operators affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, two German schemes supporting the rail freight sector and the (...)

State aid: Commission approves 2022-2027 regional aid map for Czechia* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules Czechia’s map for granting regional aid from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2027. The Czech regional aid map is the first map approved by the Commission within (...)

The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Telekom Romania Communications (“TKR”) by Orange SA (“Orange”). The approval is conditional on the divestiture of TKR’s 30% minority shareholding in Telekom Romania Mobile Communications (“TRMC”), (...)

State aid: Commission approves €525.3 million German aid in favour of airline Condor in context of coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has found an aid package by Germany in favour of the airline Condor to be in line with EU State aid rules. The approval of the aid package, based (...)

Commission opens infringement procedures against 12 Member States for not transposing EU rules banning unfair trading practices* The Commission opened infringement procedures against 12 Member States for failing to transpose EU rules banning unfair trading practices in the agri-food sector. (...)

State aid: Commission approves €30.5 billion French scheme to support production of electricity from renewable energy sources* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a French aid scheme to support renewable electricity production. The measure will help France achieve (...)

State aid: Commission approves €800 million Italian scheme to compensate airports and ground-handling operators for the damage suffered due to the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €800 million Italian scheme to compensate airports and (...)

State aid: Commission opens in-depth investigation into financing of Post Danmark’s universal service obligation* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether the compensation granted by Denmark to Post Danmark to fulfil its public service mission for the (...)

State aid: Commission simplifies rules for aid combined with EU support and introduces new possibilities to implement aid measures supporting the twin transition and the recovery from coronavirus pandemic* The European Commission adopted today an extension of the scope of the General Block (...)

Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into proposed acquisition of GRAIL by Illumina* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed acquisition of GRAIL by Illumina, under the EU Merger Regulation. The Commission is concerned that the proposed (...)

State aid: Commission opens in-depth investigation into arbitration award in favour of Antin to be paid by Spain* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation in order to assess whether an arbitration award, to be paid by Spain in favour of Antin as compensation for the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1 billion Spanish recapitalisation scheme to provide debt and capital support to companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, Spanish plans to set up a €1 billion recapitalisation fund that (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.2 billion rescue loan; opens investigation into €3.2 billion Portuguese further restructuring aid in favour of TAP* By two separate decisions adopted today, the European Commission has (i) re-approved €1.2 billion rescue aid to Transportes Aéreos Portugueses (...)

State aid: Commission approves €2.5 billion Italian scheme to support self-employed and healthcare professionals in context of coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €2.5 billion Italian scheme to support self-employed individuals and certain healthcare professionals in (...)

Competition: Commission publishes findings of evaluation of Market Definition Notice* The European Commission has published today a Staff Working Document that summarises the findings of the evaluation of the Market Definition Notice used in EU competition law. The aim of the evaluation (...)

Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of Willis Towers Watson by Aon, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of Willis Towers Watson (‘WTW’) by Aon. The approval is conditional on full compliance with a substantial set of (...)

State aid: Commission approves €750 million German State guarantee scheme for the Travel Insolvency Fund in the context of the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €750 million German scheme in the form of a State guarantee for loans that (...)

Antitrust: Commission invites interested parties to provide comments on draft revised Vertical Block Exemption Regulation and Vertical Guidelines* The European Commission has launched today a public consultation inviting all interested parties to comment on the draft revised Vertical Block (...)

State aid: Commission publishes results of evaluation of EU State aid rules for deployment of broadband networks* The European Commission has published a Commission Staff Working Document summarising the results of an evaluation of the State aid rules for the deployment of broadband (...)

State aid: Commission opens in-depth investigation into €190 million Romanian support measures in favour of TAROM* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether Romanian support measures in favour of the airline TAROM would be in line with EU rules on State (...)

State aid: Commission approves €39.7 million of Italian aid measure to compensate Alitalia for further damages suffered due to coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has found that an Italian aid measure of €39.7 million to support Alitalia is in line with EU State aid rules. This (...)

Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into proposed merger of Cargotec and Konecranes* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed merger of Cargotec Corporation (‘Cargotec’) and Konecranes Plc (‘Konecranes’) under the EU Merger Regulation. (...)

Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into proposed acquisition of Air Europa by IAG* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed acquisition of Air Europa by IAG, under the EU Merger Regulation. The Commission is concerned that the proposed (...)

State aid: the Commission authorises the regulatory mechanism for the storage of natural gas in France* The European Commission has concluded that the regulatory mechanism for the storage of natural gas implemented by France since 2017 complies with EU rules on State aid. The measure will (...)

State aid: Commission approves Austrian network reserve for ensuring security of electricity supply* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, Austrian plans to establish a network reserve for the Austrian electricity market. The temporary measure will be in force until (...)

Antitrust: Commission opens investigation into possible anticompetitive conduct by Google in the online advertising technology sector* The European Commission has opened a formal antitrust investigation to assess whether Google has violated EU competition rules by favouring its own online (...)

Antitrust: Commission carries out unannounced inspections in the manufacturing and distribution of garments sector* On 22 June 2021, the European Commission has carried out unannounced inspections in Germany at the premises of a company active in the sector of manufacturing and distribution (...)

The Commission has informed Insurance Ireland, an association of Irish insurers, of its preliminary view that it breached EU antitrust rules by restricting competition in the Irish motor vehicle insurance market. The Commission takes issue with certain conditions of access to the Insurance (...)

State aid: Commission approves €166.7 million Greek public support for construction of LNG terminal in Alexandroupolis* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €166.7 million Greek support measure for the construction of a new liquid natural gas (“LNG”) terminal in (...)

State aid: Commission approves a Polish scheme to compensate large companies for damages suffered due to coronavirus outbreak and provide liquidity support* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a Polish scheme to partially compensate large companies for the damages (...)

State aid: Commission clears public support for several ferry services in Italy; finds other measures to Siremar and SNS to be incompatible aid* The European Commission has concluded that the public service compensation granted since 2009 to Sicilia Regionale Marittima S.p.A. (‘Siremar’) and (...)

State aid: Commission confirms that Spain needs to recover incompatible aid from certain digital terrestrial operators* The Commission has concluded that the aid received by terrestrial operators for the digitisation and extension of the terrestrial television network in remote areas of (...)

Antitrust: Commission publishes initial findings of consumer Internet of Things sector inquiry Page contents* The European Commission has published today the preliminary results of its competition sector inquiry into markets for consumer Internet of Things (IoT) related products and services (...)

State aid: Commission approves €800 million Italian scheme to support companies in context of coronavirus outbreak, as well as development and production of coronavirus-relevant products* The European Commission has approved a €800 million Italian scheme to support companies affected by the (...)

State aid: Commission invites interested parties to provide comments on proposed draft Climate, Energy and Environmental State aid Guidelines* The European Commission has launched today a targeted public consultation inviting all interested parties to comment on the proposed revision of the (...)

Antitrust: Commission opens investigation into possible anticompetitive conduct of Facebook* The European Commission has opened a formal antitrust investigation to assess whether Facebook violated EU competition rules by using advertising data gathered in particular from advertisers in order (...)

State aid: Commission approves €800 million Greek scheme to support tourism sector in context of coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €800 million Greek scheme to support companies active in tourism affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The (...)

Antitrust: Commission publishes findings of evaluation on the Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation* The European Commission has published today the Evaluation Report and Staff Working Document summarising the findings of its evaluation of the Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation. (...)

State aid: Commission approves €2.1 billion German scheme to support roll-out of infrastructure for high speed mobile communication services in underserved areas in Germany* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €2.1 billion German aid scheme to support the (...)

State aid: Commission approves modification of existing German scheme to support rail freight operators and mitigate effects of coronavirus outbreak on the sector* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, the modification of an existing German aid scheme to support (...)

Antitrust: Commission fines investment banks € 371 million for participating in a European Governments Bonds trading cartel* The European Commission has found that Bank of America, Natixis, Nomura, RBS (now NatWest), UBS, UniCredit and WestLB (now Portigon) have breached EU antitrust rules (...)

State aid: Commission approves €22.5 billion Polish scheme to support offshore wind farms* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a Polish scheme to support offshore wind technology. The measure will help Poland reach its renewable energy targets without unduly (...)

State aid: Commission approves €500 million Greek scheme to support food service companies affected by coronavirus outbreak The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €500 million Greek support scheme to support food service companies affected by the coronavirus (...)

State aid: Commission publishes results of evaluation of EU State aid rules for agriculture, forestry and rural areas* The European Commission has published a Commission Staff Working Document summarising the results of an evaluation of the State aid rules for the agriculture and forestry (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.9 billion Czech scheme to support companies in context of coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved an approximately € 1.9 billion (CZK 50 billion) Czech scheme to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was (...)

Commission proposes new Regulation to address distortions caused by foreign subsidies in the Single Market* The European Commission proposes today a new instrument to address potential distortive effects of foreign subsidies in the Single Market. Today’s legislative proposal follows the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €400 million Danish aid scheme to support production of electricity from renewable energy sources* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a Danish aid scheme to support electricity production from renewable sources. The measure will (...)

Mergers: Commission fines Sigma-Aldrich €7.5 million for providing misleading information during Merck takeover investigation* The European Commission has fined Sigma-Aldrich €7.5 million for providing incorrect or misleading information during the Commission’s investigation under the EU (...)

State aid: Commission approves €12 million coronavirus damage compensation and €255.5 million of liquidity support to SATA Air Açores and Azores Airlines in Portugal; extends ongoing in-depth investigation to planned restructuring aid* The European Commission has approved €12 million in (...)

Antitrust: Commission sends Statement of Objections to Apple on App Store rules for music streaming providers* The European Commission has informed Apple of its preliminary view that it distorted competition in the music streaming market as it abused its dominant position for the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €2.5 million compensation to Slovenian Press Agency STA for its public service* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €2.5 million compensation granted by Slovenia to the Slovenian Press Agency STA to fulfil its public service (...)

State aid: Commission approves prolongation and modification of German scheme to support electricity production from renewable energy sources* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, the prolongation and modification of a German scheme to support the production of (...)

State aid: Commission approves restructuring aid for Polish Regional Railways, as Poland commits to an accelerated opening to competition of regional passenger rail transport* The European Commission has concluded that Polish measures to support the restructuring of Polish Regional Railways, (...)

Antitrust: Commission fines three EU railway companies €48 million for customer allocation cartel* The European Commission has fined railway companies Österreichische Bundesbahnen (ÖBB), Deutsche Bahn (DB) and Société Nationale des Chemins de fer belges / Nationale Maatschappij der Belgische (...)

State aid: Commission adopts revised Regional Aid Guidelines* The European Commission has adopted revised EU guidelines on regional State aid (the “Regional Aid Guidelines”), setting out the rules under which Member States can grant State aid to companies to support the economic development (...)

Mergers: Commission approves acquisition of certain Suez waste management companies by the Schwarz Group, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of certain Suez waste management companies in Germany, Luxembourg, the (...)

Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into proposed acquisition of Trimo by Kingspan Page contents* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed acquisition of Trimo, arhitekturne rešitve, d.o.o. (‘Trimo’) by Kingspan Group plc (‘Kingspan’), (...)

State aid: Commission approves prolongation of market conform asset protection scheme for banks in Greece* The European Commission has approved the prolongation of an existing Greek scheme aiming at supporting the reduction of non-performing loans of Greek banks on the basis that it remains (...)

State aid: Commission invites interested parties to provide comments on proposed revision of State aid Framework for research, development and innovation* The European Commission has launched today a public consultation inviting all interested parties to comment on a proposed targeted (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.74 billion Danish scheme to support mink farmers and related businesses in context of coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules, an approximately €1.74 billion (DKK 13 billion) Danish scheme to compensate mink (...)

State aid: Commission approves up to €4 billion French measure to recapitalise Air France* The European Commission has approved French plans to grant up to €4 billion for the recapitalisation of Air France through its Holding company. The measure was approved under the State aid Temporary (...)

Statement by Executive Vice-President Vestager on announcement by Air Canada and Transat to withdraw from proposed merger* The European Commission takes note of Air Canada and Transat’s announcement that they have decided to terminate the proposed merger agreement according to which Air (...)

Antitrust: Commission opens investigation into possible anticompetitive behaviour by the power exchange EPEX Spot* The European Commission has opened a formal investigation to assess whether the power exchange EPEX Spot SE (‘EPEX Spot’) has been taking advantage of its dominant position to (...)

State aid: Commission approves €400 million Dutch loan scheme to support companies providing package travel and linked travel arrangements in context of coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €400 million Dutch loan scheme to support companies providing package travel (...)

State aid: Commission approves €24.7 million of Italian support to compensate Alitalia for further damages suffered due to coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has found €24.7 million of Italian support in favour of Alitalia to be in line with EU State aid rules. This measure aims (...)

Mergers: Commission announces evaluation results and follow-up measures on jurisdictional and procedural aspects of EU merger control* The European Commission has published today a Staff Working Document that summarises the findings of the evaluation of procedural and jurisdictional aspects (...)

State aid: Commission approves €270 million Italian measure to support rail freight and commercial passenger operators affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €270 million Italian measure supporting both the rail freight sector and (...)

Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of GrandVision by EssilorLuxottica, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of GrandVision by EssilorLuxottica. The approval is conditional on full compliance with commitments (...)

State aid: Commission approves €146.5 million Austrian support in favour of companies joining research and innovation project in microelectronics* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, €146.5 million in Austrian support in favour of three companies joining the (...)

State aid: Commission approves modification of Spanish schemes, including €10 billion budget increase for aid of limited amount, to further support economy in context of coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has found the modification of three existing Spanish schemes to support the (...)

GrainCorp amends terms in its warehousing agreement* GrainCorp Operations Ltd (GrainCorp) has agreed to amend 19 terms in its Grain Warehousing Agreement with small business grain growers, after an ACCC investigation concluded that these terms were likely to be unfair contract terms under (...)

State aid: Commission approves French scheme to compensate ski lifts operators for damages suffered due to coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a French scheme with a budget between €140 and €700 million to compensate ski lifts operators for (...)

State aid: Commission refers United Kingdom to European Court for failure to fully recover illegal tax exemption aid of up to around €100 million in Gibraltar* The European Commission has decided to refer the United Kingdom to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to fully (...)

Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of Eaton Hydraulics by Danfoss, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Eaton’s hydraulics business (“Eaton Hydraulics”) by Danfoss. The approval is conditional on full (...)

State aid: Commission approves €350 million Finnish support to Finavia in the context of the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, three Finnish measures, with an overall budget of €350 million, to support airport operator Finavia in the (...)

Antitrust: Commission opens investigation into PPC’s behaviour in the Greek wholesale electricity market* The European Commission has opened a formal antitrust investigation to assess possible abusive behaviour by Public Power Corporation (‘PPC’) in the wholesale Greek electricity sector. (...)

Competition: The European Commission forms a Multilateral Working Group with leading competition authorities to exchange best practices on pharmaceutical mergers* The European Commission’s Directorate General for Competition together with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Canadian (...)

State aid: Commission approves around €350 million Finnish support to compensate Finnair for damages suffered due to coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has found €351.38 million of Finnish support in favour of Finnair to be in line with EU State aid rules. The measure aims at (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.1 billion Polish scheme to further support companies affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €1.1 billion (PLN 5 billion) Polish scheme to support companies in various sectors affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme (...)

State aid: Commission approves €511 million Italian scheme to compensate commercial rail passenger operators for damages suffered due to coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, €511 million in Italian support to compensate providers of (...)

State aid: Commission approves €2 billion French scheme to support uncovered fixed costs of companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a French scheme to support the uncovered fixed costs of companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme (...)

State aid: Commission approves €39.7 million Latvian measures to recapitalise Riga International Airport* The European Commission has approved Latvian plans to grant up to €39.7 million for the recapitalisation of the State Joint Stock Company Riga International Airport (Riga International (...)

Competition: Commission invites stakeholders to provide comments on the application of EU competition law to collective bargaining agreements for self-employed* The European Commission has launched today a public consultation to gather views and evidence from citizens, businesses, social (...)

State aid: Commission approves over €1 billion support for high-efficient cogeneration of electricity and heat in Slovakia* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, Slovak plans to support the production of electricity from high-efficient cogeneration installations (...)

State aid: Commission approves French guarantee scheme mobilising up to €20 billion support from private investors for companies affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a French State guarantee scheme to support the economy in the (...)

Antitrust: Commission opens formal investigation into possible anticompetitive conduct of Teva in relation to a blockbuster multiple sclerosis medicine* The European Commission has opened a formal antitrust investigation to assess whether the pharmaceutical company Teva has illegally delayed (...)

State aid: Commission approves €40 million Italian aid measure to support coronavirus related research and development activities* The European Commission has approved a €40 million Italian aid measure to support coronavirus related research and development (R&D) by biotechnology company (...)

State aid: Commission opens in-depth investigation into compensation for early closure of lignite-fired power plants in Germany* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether German plans to compensate lignite-fired power plants for phasing out earlier than (...)

State aid: Commission approves Danish support for Thor offshore wind farm project* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, Danish support for the Thor offshore wind farm project, which will be located in the Danish part of the North Sea. The measure will help Denmark (...)

State aid: Commission approves €254 million Romanian aid to support rehabilitation of district heating system in Bucharest The European Commission has approved, under EU State Aid rules, Romanian plans to support the upgrade of the district heating system of the municipality of Bucharest. (...)

Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of Varian by Siemens Healthineers, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Varian Medical Systems by Siemens AG, through its subsidiary Siemens Healthineers. The approval (...)

Mergers : Commission adopts final measures to preserve the divestment of former Aleris plant in Belgium following Novelis’ acquisition of Aleris* The European Commission has adopted final measures to preserve the divestment of the former Aleris plant in Duffel, Belgium, by Novelis under the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.4 billion Swedish scheme to support uncovered fixed costs of companies affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved an approximately €1.4 billion (SEK 14 billion) Swedish scheme to support the uncovered fixed costs of companies (...)

Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of Belchim by Mitsui, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Belchim by Mitsui. The approval is conditional on full compliance with a commitments package offered by (...)

Antitrust: Commission accepts commitments by Aspen to reduce prices for six off-patent cancer medicines by 73% addressing excessive pricing concerns* The European Commission has made commitments offered by Aspen legally binding under EU antitrust rules. Aspen has to reduce its prices in (...)

The European Commission refers to the Autorité de la concurrence the review of the acquisition of Suez RV OSIS by SARP, a subsidiary of Veolia* On 5 February 2020, the European Commission referred the review of the takeover of Suez RV OSIS, a subsidiary of Suez, by SARP, a subsidiary of (...)

State aid: Commission opens in-depth investigation into Romanian support measures in favour of CE Oltenia* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether Romanian support measures in favour of Complexul Energetic Oltenia SA (‘CE Oltenia’) would be in line with (...)

State aid: Commission approves €300 million Austrian scheme for package travel organisers and facilitators of linked travel services in the context of the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €300 million Austrian scheme for package travel (...)

Antitrust: Commission opens formal investigation into possible trade restrictions by Mondelēz* The European Commission has opened a formal antitrust investigation to assess whether Mondelēz has restricted competition in a range of national markets for chocolate, biscuits and coffee by (...)

State aid: Commission approves €12 billion German umbrella scheme to compensate companies for damages suffered due to coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has found a €12 billion German umbrella scheme (final part of the Novemberhilfe package) to compensate companies for damages (...)

State aid: Commission approves €325 million public support to provide schools in Italy with very high internet speed* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, €325 million of public support to connect 12,000 schools in Italy to very high-speed internet. The schools (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.9 billion Polish scheme to support companies affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €1.9 billion (PLN 8.6 billion) Polish scheme to support companies operating in certain sectors affected by the coronavirus-outbreak. The (...)

Antitrust: Commission fines Valve and five publishers of PC video games € 7.8 million for “geo-blocking” practices* The European Commission has fined Valve, owner of the online PC gaming platform “Steam”, and the five publishers Bandai Namco, Capcom, Focus Home, Koch Media and ZeniMax € 7.8 (...)

State aid: Commission approves €300 million Austrian scheme to support organisers of events affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €300 million Austrian scheme to support organisers of events affected by the coronavirus outbreak. (...)

State aid: Commission approves Greek public funding for construction and operation of North section of E65 motorway* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, Greek public funding of €442 million for the construction of the North section of the Central Greece Motorway (...)

Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of Refinitiv by London Stock Exchange Group, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of Refinitiv by the London Stock Exchange Group (‘LSEG’). The approval is conditional on full (...)

State aid: Commission approves investment aid for Czech orchards and irrigations; opens in-depth investigations into Czech measures in favour of large agricultural companies* The European Commission has approved two Czech investment aid support schemes for the restructuring of orchards and (...)

State aid: Commission approves €202 million Croatian scheme to support companies in the tourism and sports sectors in the context of coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved an approximately €202 million (HRK 1.525 billion) Croatian State aid scheme to support companies of (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.25 billion German measure to recapitalise TUI* The European Commission has approved German plans to contribute up to €1.25 billion to the recapitalisation of TUI AG (TUI), the parent company of the TUI Group, as part of a wider support package. The measure (...)

State aid: Commission approves €73 million of Italian support to compensate Alitalia for further damages suffered due to coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has found €73.02 million of Italian support in favour of Alitalia to be in line with EU State aid rules. This measure aims at (...)

State aid: Commission approves €2.9 billion Polish scheme to support micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in context of coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved an approximately €2.9 billion (PLN 13 billion) Polish State aid scheme to support micro, small and (...)

State aid: Commission approves €120 million Greek support to compensate Aegean Airlines for damages suffered due to coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has found a Greek grant of €120 million to Aegean Airlines to be in line with EU State aid rules. The measure aims at compensating (...)

State aid: Commission approves €650 million Polish support to LOT in context of coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved two Polish measures, for a total of about €650 million (approximately PLN 2.9 billion), to support the airline LOT in the context of the coronavirus (...)

State aid: Commission approves €300 million German aid scheme to support transition to sustainable local public transport* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €300 million German scheme to support innovative projects aimed at strengthening sustainable local (...)

Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into proposed acquisition of Willis Towers Watson by Aon* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed acquisition of Willis Towers Watson by Aon, under the EU Merger Regulation. Aon and Willis Tower (...)

State aid: Commission approves €900 million Slovenian scheme to support uncovered fixed costs of companies affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a Slovenian €900 million scheme to cover part of the uncovered fixed costs of companies affected by the (...)

Mergers: Commission approves the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. and Peugeot S.A., subject to conditions * The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed merger between the automotive companies Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (‘FCA’) and Peugeot (...)

State aid: Commission puts forward initiatives to further facilitate implementation of recovery and coronavirus support measures * The European Commission has today published guiding templates to assist Member States in the design of their national recovery and resilience plans in line with (...)

Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of Fitbit by Google, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of Fitbit by Google. The approval is conditional on full compliance with a commitments package offered by Google. (...)

State aid: Commission approves €55 million German scheme to support roll-out of infrastructure for mobile communication services in German Land of Brandenburg* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €55 million German aid scheme to support the deployment of (...)

State aid: Commission approves amended Estonian scheme worth €450 million to support production of electricity from renewable sources* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, the modification of the existing aid scheme to support electricity production from renewable (...)

Antitrust: Commission publishes report on implementation of Damages Directive* The European Commission has published a report on the implementation of the Antitrust Damages Directive which helps citizens and companies claim damages if they are victims of infringements of EU antitrust rules, (...)

State aid: Commission approves €30 billion Dutch scheme to support projects reducing greenhouse gas emissions* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €30 billion Dutch scheme to support projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the Netherlands. The scheme (...)

State aid: Commission gives green light to the Pan-European Guarantee Fund to enable up to €200 billion financing for companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak in 21 Member States* The European Commission found the creation of a €25 billion Pan-European Guarantee Fund managed by the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €106.7 million restructuring aid and €30.2 compensation for damages suffered due to coronavirus outbreak in favour of French airline Corsair* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, two French measures in favour of Corsair, an airline (...)

Mergers: Commission approves DIC’s acquisition of BASF Colors & Effects, subject to conditions The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of BASF Colors & Effects by the DIC Corporation (‘DIC’). The approval is conditional on full (...)

State aid: Commission concludes that the Madeira Free Zone (“Zona Franca da Madeira”) scheme not implemented in line with approved conditions* The European Commission has found that the implementation of the Madeira Free Zone aid scheme (Regime III) in Portugal is not in line with the (...)

State aid: Commission requires Italy to put an end to tax exemptions for ports* The European Commission has required Italy to abolish the corporate tax exemptions granted to its ports, in order to align its tax regime with EU State aid rules. Profits earned by port authorities from economic (...)

State aid: Commission approves €20 million voucher scheme to support access to broadband services by students in Greece* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules a €20 million voucher scheme to help students in Greece access broadband services and benefit from remote (...)

State aid: Commission approves €625 million Italian scheme to support tour operators and travel agencies affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €625 million Italian scheme to support tour operators and travel agencies in Italy affected by the coronavirus (...)

State aid: Commission approves State compensation granted by Italy to Poste Italiane for its universal postal service obligation* The European Commission has found the compensation granted by Italy to Poste Italiane to fulfil its public service mission (so-called ‘universal service (...)

State aid: Commission approves German “umbrella” scheme to enable capital support to enterprises affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved German plans to set up a scheme under which the German federal and regional authorities can invest through debt and equity (...)

Mergers: Commission clears Altice, Allianz and Omers’ joint acquisition of Covage, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Covage by SFR FTTH, a company jointly controlled by Altice, Allianz and Omers. The (...)

Antitrust: Commission fines Teva and Cephalon €60.5 million for delaying entry of cheaper generic medicine* The European Commission has fined the pharmaceutical companies Teva and Cephalon €60.5 million for agreeing to delay for several years the market entry of a cheaper generic version of (...)

State aid: Commission approves Austrian measures to support rail freight and passenger operators affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, two Austrian measures supporting the rail freight sector and one measure supporting the rail (...)

State aid: Commission approves competitive tender mechanism to compensate for early closure of hard coal-fired power plants in Germany* The European Commission found that a competitive tender mechanism introduced by Germany to compensate hard coal-fired power plants for phasing out earlier (...)

State aid: Commission approves €120 million Luxembourg scheme to support uncovered fixed costs of companies affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a Luxembourg State aid scheme to support the uncovered fixed costs of companies affected by the coronavirus (...)

State aid: Commission approves Danish fund to enable €1.34 billion of capital support to large companies affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved Danish plans to set up a fund with a target size of up to DKK 10 billion (approximately €1.34 billion) to (...)

State aid: Commission approves German “umbrella” scheme to support uncovered fixed costs of companies affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a German “umbrella” scheme to support the uncovered fixed costs of companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The (...)

State aid: Commission approves Austrian ”Fixkostenzuschuss Phase II” scheme to support uncovered fixed costs of companies affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved the Austrian “Fixkostenzuschuss Phase II” scheme to support the uncovered fixed costs of companies (...)

Mergers: Commission refers acquisition of newly created joint venture by Telefónica and Liberty Global to the UK competition authority* The European Commission has referred the proposed acquisition by Telefónica S.A. and Liberty Global PLC of a newly created joint venture to the Consumers (...)

State aid: Commission approves German nation-wide scheme to support deployment of Gigabit networks in Germany* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a German scheme to support the deployment of very high capacity broadband networks offering Gigabit speeds in (...)

Antitrust: Commission sends Statement of Objections to Amazon for the use of non-public independent seller data and opens second investigation into its e-commerce business practices* The European Commission has informed Amazon of its preliminary view that it has breached EU antitrust rules (...)

State aid: Commission approves €150 million Romanian scheme to support investments in district heating systems based on renewable energy sources* The European Commission has approved, under EU State Aid rules, a Romanian scheme to support the construction and/or upgrade of district heating (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.5 billion Dutch scheme to compensate public transport companies for damages suffered due to coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a Dutch scheme of around €1.5 billion to compensate companies providing regional (...)

Antitrust: The Commission sends Statement of Objections to České dráhy for alleged predatory pricing* The European Commission has informed the state-owned Czech rail incumbent České dráhy (ČD) of its preliminary view that ČD has breached EU antitrust rules by charging prices below costs. (...)

State aid: Commission publishes results of evaluation of EU State aid rules* The European Commission has published a Commission Staff Working Document summarising the results of an evaluation of the State aid rules adopted as part of the State Aid Modernisation package. The evaluation (...)

State aid: Commission prolongs and expands Temporary Framework to further support companies facing significant turnover losses* The European Commission has decided to prolong and extend the scope of the State aid Temporary Framework adopted on 19 March 2020 to support the economy in the (...)

Antitrust: Commission accepts commitments by Broadcom to ensure competition in chipset markets for modems and set-top boxes* The European Commission has made commitments offered by Broadcom legally binding under EU antitrust rules. Broadcom will suspend all existing agreements containing (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.5 billion Italian scheme to support companies affected by coronavirus outbreak in Southern Italy* The European Commission has approved a €1.5 billion Italian scheme to support companies operating in regions of Southern Italy affected by the coronavirus (...)

Mergers: Commission approves PPF’s acquisition of CME* The European Commission has approved unconditionally, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Central European Media Enterprises ("CME") by PPF Group NV ("PPF"). The Commission concluded the transaction would raise no (...)

Mergers: Commission takes note of General Court judgment in HeidelbergCement/Schwenk/Cemex Hungary/Cemex Croatia merger case* The European Commission takes note of the judgment of the General Court, which confirms the Commission’s decision prohibiting the acquisition by HeidelbergCement and (...)

Antitrust: Commission sends Statement of Objections to Conserve Italia for participation in canned vegetables cartel* The European Commission has informed Conserve Italia Soc. coop. Agricola and its subsidiary Conserves France SA (together referred to as Conserve Italia) of its preliminary (...)

Coronavirus: Commission Statement on consulting Member States on proposal to prolong and adjust State aid Temporary Framework* Today, the European Commission has sent to Member States for consultation a draft proposal to prolong until 30 June 2021 the State aid Temporary Framework, adopted (...)

Mergers: Commission approves Worldline’s acquisition of Ingenico, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Ingenico by Worldline, both active in the payment services sector. The approval is conditional on full (...)

Antitrust: Commission fines car parts suppliers of € 18 million in cartel settlement* The European Commission has fined Brose and Kiekert a total of € 18 million for taking part in two cartels concerning supplies of closure systems for cars in the European Economic Area (EEA). Magna was not (...)

State aid: Commission opens in-depth investigation into Belgian capacity mechanism* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether a Belgian capacity mechanism to safeguard security of electricity supply is in line with EU State aid rules. Executive (...)

Mergers: Commission approves Fortenova’s acquisition of Mercator* The European Commission has approved unconditionally, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Mercator by Fortenova. The Commission concluded that the transaction would raise no competition concerns in the (...)

Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into the proposed acquisition of Eaton Hydraulics by Danfoss* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed acquisition of Eaton’s hydraulics business (“Eaton Hydraulics”) by Danfoss under the EU Merger (...)

State aid: Commission opens in-depth investigation into allocation of mobile radio frequencies by Poland to telecoms operator Sferia* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether the allocation by the Polish authorities of a frequency block for the provision (...)

State of the Union: Commission adopts revised EU Emission Trading System State aid Guidelines* In line with the European Green Deal and the EU’s objective to become the first climate neutral economy by 2050, the Commission adopted today revised EU Emission Trading System State aid Guidelines (...)

State aid: Commission approves €44 billion Italian recapitalisation scheme to support large companies affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved an Italian scheme, with an overall budget of €44 billion, to support large enterprises affected by the coronavirus (...)

State aid: Commission invites comments on State aid rules for the deployment of broadband networks* The European Commission has launched a public consultation inviting Member States and other stakeholders to provide their views and comments on the existing EU State aid rules on public (...)

Antitrust: Commission publishes findings of the evaluation of the Vertical Block Exemption Regulation* The European Commission has today published a Staff Working Document that summarises the findings of the evaluation of the Vertical Block Exemption Regulation (“VBER”), together with the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €199.45 million Italian support to compensate Alitalia for damages suffered due to coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has found Italian €199.45 million support in favour of Alitalia to be in line with EU State aid rules. The measure aims at (...)

State aid: Commission approves €290 million Belgian support to Brussels Airlines in the context of the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €290 million Belgian aid measure to support SN Group, which is composed of SN Airholding and its sole subsidiary Brussels (...)

State aid: Commission approves €62 million Romanian loan guarantee to compensate Blue Air for damage suffered due to coronavirus outbreak and provide the airline with urgent liquidity support* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a Romanian loan guarantee of up to (...)

State aid: Commission approves Bavarian fund to enable up to €46 billion of liquidity and capital support to enterprises in Bavaria in the context of the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved German plans to set up a €46 billion fund at the level of the German State (...)

State aid: Commission approves €133 million Portuguese liquidity support to SATA airline; opens investigation into other public support measures* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, €133 million in liquidity support to SATA Air Açores (SATA). The aid will allow (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1 billion Danish and Swedish measure to recapitalise SAS* The European Commission has approved Danish and Swedish plans to contribute up to SEK 11 billion (approximately€1 billion) to the recapitalisation of SAS. The measure was approved under the State aid (...)

Mergers: Commission approves acquisition of Nets’ account-to-account payment business by Mastercard, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Nets’ account-to-account payment business by Mastercard. The decision (...)

State aid: Commission approves Irish loan guarantee scheme mobilising €2 billion support for companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved an Irish loan guarantee scheme to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved (...)

State aid: Commission approves €2 billion Italian guarantee scheme to support trade credit insurance market in the context of the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €2 billion Italian scheme to support the trade credit insurance market in (...)

State aid: Commission approves €30 million Estonian measure to support Nordica in the context of the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €30 million Estonian measure to provide a share capital increase and a subsidised interest loan to the state-owned aviation (...)

State aid: Commission approves German aid scheme to support airports affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a German aid scheme to support airports in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved partially based on Article 107(2)(b) of (...)

State aid: Commission opens in-depth investigation into public support for expansion of LG Chem’s electric vehicles battery plant in Poland* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether €95 million of public support granted by Poland to chemical company LG (...)

State aid: Commission approves €6 billion German scheme to compensate public transport companies for damages suffered due to coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €6 billion German scheme to compensate companies providing regional and local (...)

State aid: Commission approves €665 million Austrian scheme to support non-profit organisations and their related entities affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €665 million Austrian scheme to support non-profit organisations (NPOs) and their related (...)