European Commission

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. The (...)

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 of (...)

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 Link (...)

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 Spain (...)

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. The (...)

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 rail (...)

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 outbreak. (...)

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 approved (...)

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 help (...)

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 Merger (...)

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 Portuguese (...)

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 distribution (...)

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 mission. (...)

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 of (...)

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’), under (...)

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 revision (...)

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 farmers (...)

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 Canada (...)

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 and (...)

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 at (...)

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 of (...)

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 the (...)

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 existing (...)

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 the (...)

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 the (...)

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 context of (...)

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 was (...)

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 commercial, (...)

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 was (...)

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 is (...)

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 EU (...)

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 affected (...)

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 Mitsui. (...)

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 Europe (...)

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 Véolia, (...)

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 EU (...)

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 hindering (...)

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 that (...)

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 scheme (...)

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 million (...)

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. The (...)

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 all (...)

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 was (...)

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 medium-sized (...)

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 the (...)

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 public (...)

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 Watson (...)

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 coronavirus (...)

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 S.A. (...)

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 EU (...)

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. Executive (...)

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 active (...)

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 online (...)

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 obligation’ (...)

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 approval (...)

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 recapitalise (...)

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 scheme (...)

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 and (...)

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 Germany. (...)

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 by (...)

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 and (...)

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. Executive (...)

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 outbreak, (...)

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 on (...)

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 in (...)

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 support (...)

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 compensating (...)

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 Airlines, (...)

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 (Land) (...)

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 the (...)

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 is (...)

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 the (...)

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 company (...)

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 Chem (...)

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 (...)

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

State aid: Commission approves €200 million voucher scheme to support access to broadband services by low-income families in Italy* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules a €200 million voucher scheme to help low-income families in Italy access high-speed broadband (...)

State aid: Commission approves €6 billion Italian schemes to support SMEs affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved three Italian schemes, with an overall budget of €6 billion, mainly consisting of incentives to the recapitalisation by private investors of small and (...)

State aid: Commission approves €10 billion Spanish fund to provide debt and capital support to companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved Spanish plans to set up a fund (Solvency Support Fund) with a budget of €10 billion that will invest through debt (...)

State aid: Commission approves €840 million German guarantee scheme to protect consumers and support the travel industry in the context of the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a German State guarantee scheme worth €840 million to cover (...)

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

State aid: Commission approves € 866 million Czech scheme to support businesses affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a CZK 22.9 billion (approximately € 866 million) Czech wage subsidy scheme providing support to enterprises affected by the coronavirus outbreak. (...)

State aid: Commission invites stakeholders to provide comments on revised Regional Aid Guidelines* The European Commission has launched today a public consultation inviting all interested parties to comment on draft revised EU guidelines on regional State aid (the “Regional Aid Guidelines”). (...)

State aid: Commission approves €2.6 billion Polish scheme to support companies affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €2.6 billion (PLN 11.5 billion) Polish scheme to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved under the State (...)

Antitrust: Commission adopts guidance for national courts when handling disclosure of confidential information* The European Commission has adopted a Communication on the protection of confidential information by national courts in proceedings for the private enforcement of EU competition law. (...)

State aid: Commission approves support for production of electricity from renewable sources in Ireland* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a scheme to support electricity production from renewable sources in Ireland. The measure will contribute to the EU (...)

Antitrust: Commission launches sector inquiry into the consumer Internet of Things (IoT)* The European Commission today launched an antitrust competition inquiry into the sector of Internet of Things (IoT) for consumer-related products and services in the European Union. The sector inquiry (...)

State Aid: Commission recommends not granting financial support to companies with links to tax havens* The European Commission has today recommended that Member States do not grant financial support to companies with links to countries that are on the EU’s list of non-cooperative tax (...)

Antitrust: Commission seeks feedback on commitments offered by Aspen to reduce prices for six off-patent cancer medicines by 73% to address Commission’s concerns over excessive pricing* The European Commission invites comments from all interested parties on commitments offered by Aspen to (...)

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

Antitrust: Commission fines ethylene purchasers € 260 million in cartel settlement* The European Commission has fined Orbia, Clariant and Celanese a total of € 260 million for breaching EU antitrust rules. Westlake was not fined as it revealed the cartel to the Commission. The companies took (...)

State aid: Commission approves Dutch plans to provide €3.4 billion in urgent liquidity support to KLM* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €3.4 billion Dutch aid measure consisting of a State guarantee on loans and a subordinated State loan to KLM to provide urgent (...)

State aid: Commission approves €6.2 billion Italian grants scheme to support small businesses and self-employed affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €6.2 billion Italian scheme to support small businesses and self-employed affected by the coronavirus outbreak. (...)

State aid: Commission approves German fund to enable up to €500 billion of liquidity and capital support to enterprises affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved German plans to set up a fund with a budget of up to €500 billion for providing guarantees and (...)

State aid: Commission approves €150 million Austrian subordinated loan to compensate Austrian Airlines for damages suffered due to coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has found an Austrian €150 million subordinated loan (convertible into a grant) in favour of Austrian Airlines AG to be (...)

State aid: Commission approves Latvian fund to enable €100 million of liquidity and capital support to large enterprises affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved Latvian plans to set up a fund with a current target size of €100 million that will invest through (...)

Mergers: Commission clears AMS’ acquisition of OSRAM* The European Commission has approved unconditionally, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of OSRAM by AMS. The Commission concluded that the transaction would raise no competition concerns in the European Economic Area (...)

State aid: Commission approves €250 million Latvian measure to recapitalise airBaltic* The European Commission has approved a €250 million Latvian measure to recapitalise airBaltic in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Framework. (...)

State aid: Commission prolongs EU State aid rules and adopts targeted adjustments to mitigate impact of coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has prolonged the validity of certain State aid rules which would otherwise expire at the end of 2020. In this context, and to take the effects (...)

State aid: Commission approves €46.5 million Hungarian investment aid to Toray’s lithium-ion battery separator film plant* The European Commission has found Hungary’s €46.5 million investment aid to the chemical company Toray for a new battery separator film plant in the Közép-Dunántúl (Central (...)

Competition: The European Commission launches a process to address the issue of collective bargaining for the self-employed* The European Commission is launching today a process to ensure that the EU competition rules do not stand in the way of collective bargaining for those who need it. The (...)

State aid: Commission approves €30 billion French subordinated loan scheme to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €30 billion French subordinated loan scheme to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was (...)

State aid: Commission expands Temporary Framework to further support micro, small and start-up companies and incentivise private investments* The European Commission has adopted a third amendment to extend the scope of the State aid Temporary Framework adopted on 19 March 2020 to support the (...)

Antitrust: Commission publishes report on the impact of the Interchange Fees Regulation* The European Commission has published a report on the impact of the Interchange Fees Regulation (“IFR”) for card-based payment transactions. In line with the requirements on the IFR itself, it has been sent (...)

State aid: Commission approves €7.6 billion Italian tax schemes to support companies and self-employed workers affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved four Italian aid schemes to support companies and self-employed workers affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The (...)

Competition: Commission consults stakeholders on the Market Definition Notice* The European Commission has published today a public consultation on the Market Definition Notice used in EU competition law. The open questionnaire will contribute to the Commission’s evaluation of the Notice to (...)

State aid: Commission approves €6 billion German measure to recapitalise Lufthansa* The European Commission has approved German plans to contribute €6 billion to the recapitalisation of Deutsche Lufthansa AG (DLH), the parent company of Lufthansa Group. The measure was approved under the State (...)

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

Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into proposed acquisition of Refinitiv by London Stock Exchange Group* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed acquisition of Refinitiv by the London Stock Exchange Group (“LSEG”) under the EU Merger (...)

Commission adopts White Paper on foreign subsidies in the Single Market* The European Commission has adopted a White Paper dealing with the distortive effects caused by foreign subsidies in the Single Market. The Commission now seeks views and input from all stakeholders on the options set out (...)

Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into the proposed merger of PSA and FCA* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed merger of automotive companies Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (“FCA”) and Peugeot S.A. (“PSA”) under the EU Merger (...)

Antitrust: Commission opens investigations into Apple’s App Store rules* The European Commission has opened formal antitrust investigations to assess whether Apple’s rules for app developers on the distribution of apps via the App Store violate EU competition rules. The investigations concern in (...)

Antitrust: Commission opens investigation into Apple practices regarding Apple Pay* The European Commission has opened a formal antitrust investigation to assess whether Apple’s conduct in connection with Apple Pay violates EU competition rules. The investigation concerns Apple’s terms, (...)

Coronavirus: Commission Statement on consulting Member States on proposal to expand State aid Temporary Framework to further support micro, small and start-up companies and incentivise private investments* Today, the European Commission has sent to Member States for consultation a draft (...)

State aid: Commission approves Polish recapitalisation scheme to enable up to €1.65 billion of capital support to SMEs and large enterprises affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a Polish recapitalisation scheme of up to €1.65 billion (PLN 7.5 billion) to (...)

State aid: Commission approves €3.7 billion Swedish scheme to compensate companies for damages suffered due to coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has found an approximately €3.7 billion (SEK 39 billion) Swedish scheme that partially compensates companies exposed to large turnover (...)

State aid: Commission approves Italian tax measures for maritime transport* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules the prolongation until end 2023 of various Italian support measures for maritime transport under Italy’s “International Registry” scheme. The scheme encourages (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.2 billion Portuguese urgent liquidity support to TAP* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, Portugal’s plans to grant a €1.2 billion rescue loan in favour of Transportes Aéreos Portugueses SGPS S.A. (“TAP”). The measure will provide TAP (...)

State aid: Commission approves €33 million Cypriot scheme deferring payment of VAT to support companies affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €33 million Cypriot aid scheme deferring VAT payments to ease the liquidity constraints of companies affected by the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €286 million Finnish measure to recapitalise Finnair* The European Commission has approved Finnish plans to contribute to the recapitalisation of Finnair through the subscription of new shares by the State in the rights issue launched by Finnair on 10 June 2020 in (...)

Mergers: Commission approves acquisition of Bayer’s animal health division by Elanco, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Bayer AGs animal health division by Elanco Animal Health Inc. The decision is (...)

State aid: Commission approves €5 billion French “umbrella” scheme to support research, development, testing infrastructures and production of coronavirus relevant products* The European Commission has approved a €5 billion French “umbrella” scheme to support research and development, testing and (...)

Antitrust: Commission consults stakeholders on a possible new competition tool* The European Commission has published today an inception impact assessment as well as an open public consultation inviting comments on exploring the need for a possible new competition tool that would allow (...)

State aid: Commission approves € 1.6 billion Polish scheme to compensate companies for damages suffered due to coronavirus outbreak and provide liquidity support* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, an approximately €1.6 billion (PLN 7.5 billion) Polish scheme that (...)

State aid: Commission approves €600 million Finnish guarantee scheme to support maritime companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €600 million Finnish aid scheme to support the maritime companies in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme (...)

Mergers: Commission waives the commitments made by Takeda to obtain clearance of its acquisition of Shire* The European Commission has waived, under the EU Merger Regulation, the commitments made by Takeda to obtain clearance of its acquisition of Shire. The Commission approved the (...)

State aid: Commission approves Lithuanian fund to enable up to €1 billion of liquidity and capital support to medium-sized and large enterprises affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved Lithuanian plans to set up a fund with a target size of up to €1 billion (...)

State aid: Commission approves Dutch guarantee scheme to stabilise trade credit insurance market in coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a Dutch guarantee scheme to support the trade credit insurance market in face of the coronavirus outbreak. (...)

State aid: Commission approves €2.2 billion Polish subsidised loan scheme for large enterprises affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a Polish subsidised loan scheme to support large enterprisesin the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The measure was approved (...)

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

State aid: Commission approves €8 billion Austrian scheme to compensate companies for damage caused by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has found a €8 billion Austrian scheme to compensate companies for damages related to the coronavirus outbreak to be in line with EU State aid (...)

State aid: Commission approves €9 billion Italian “umbrella” scheme to support economy in coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €9 billion Italian “umbrella” scheme to support the Italian economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved under the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €18.5 billion Czech guarantee scheme for companies affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved an approximately €18.5 billion (CZK 500 billion) Czech scheme for guarantees on loans to support lending to companies with up to 500 employees (...)

State aid: Commission approves Danish guarantee scheme to stabilise trade credit insurance market in coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a Danish guarantee scheme to support the trade credit insurance market in face of the coronavirus outbreak. (...)

State aid: Commission approves State financing granted by Spain for Correos’s universal postal service obligation* The European Commission has found the compensation granted by Spain to Correos to fulfil its public service mission (so-called “universal service obligation” or USO) during the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €11.5 million Maltese scheme to support investments in the production of coronavirus-relevant products* The European Commission has approved a Maltese aid scheme of €11.5 million to support investments in the production of productsthat are relevant to the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.5 million Latvian scheme to support companies active in the agricultural sector affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €1.5 million Latvian scheme to support companies active in the primary agricultural production sector (...)

State aid: Commission approves €322 million Croatian loan guarantees and subsidised loans scheme for micro, small and medium-sized companies affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved an approximately €322 million (HRK 2.450 million) Croatian scheme for loan (...)

State aid: Commission approves €25 million Belgian aid scheme to support coronavirus related research and development activities in Wallonia* The European Commission has approved a €25 million Belgian aid scheme to support coronavirus related research and development (R&D) in Wallonia.The (...)

The European Commission has concluded that the compensation of €52.5 million granted to coal fired power plant Hemweg by the Netherlands for the early closure imposed on the plant is in line with EU State aid rules. The measure will contribute to reducing CO2 without unduly distorting (...)

State aid: Commission approves French guarantee scheme for exporting small and midsize companies affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a French guarantee scheme for small and midsize companies with export activities that are affected (...)

State aid: Commission invites comments on updated proposal on simplified rules for State aid combined with EU support* The European Commission is inviting Member States and other stakeholders to comment on its updated proposal to exempt from prior Commission scrutiny under EU State aid rules (...)

State aid: Commission approves € 10.3 billion UK scheme to support self-employed individuals and members of partnerships during the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a GBP 9 billion (approximately € 10.3 billion) UK aid scheme to support self-employed individuals and (...)

State aid: Commission approves €500 million Greek scheme to support the self-employed affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €500 million Greek scheme to support self-employed individuals, including self-employed managers of small companies in sectors affected (...)

State aid: Commission approves €450 million Polish scheme to support companies affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €450 million scheme (approximately PLN 2 billion)to support the Polish economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The support measures (...)

State aid: Commission approves €650 million Dutch scheme to compensate companies in the floriculture, specialty horticulture and potato sectors for damage caused by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has found a €650 million Dutch scheme that compensates companies in the floriculture, (...)

State aid: Commission expands Temporary Framework to recapitalisation and subordinated debt measures to further support the economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has adopted a second amendment to extend the scope of the State aid Temporary Framework (...)

State aid: Commission approves €40 million rescue aid to Croatian mechanical engineering company Ðuro Ðaković* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, Croatia’s decision to grant mechanical engineering company Ðuro Ðaković a State guarantee for a €40.31 million (HRK 300 (...)

State aid: Commission approves €7.3 million Czech scheme to support research and development activities related to coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a CZK 200 million (approximately €7.3 million) Czech aid scheme to support research and development (R&D) activities (...)

State aid: Commission approves €314 million Hungarian guarantee scheme to support SMEs active in the agri-food value chain during the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a Hungarian scheme to support the agri-food value chain in the context of the coronavirus outbreak, (...)

State aid: Commission approves €40 million Finnish direct grant schemes to support companies in the agriculture and fishery sectors affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved two Finnish schemes, with a total budget of €40 million, to support the agricultural and (...)

State aid: Commission approves €10 million Greek scheme to support companies in the floriculture sector affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €10 million Greek State aid scheme to support the floriculture primary production sector in the context of the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €296 million Danish loan schemes to support start-ups affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved two Danish loan schemes to support start-up companies in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The loan schemes, with a total budget of (...)

State aid: Commission approves €5.2 billion Czech guarantee scheme for loans to large exporting companies affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved an approximately €5.2 billion (CZK 142 billion) Czech guarantee scheme for large companies with export activities (...)

State aid: Commission approves Belgian €250 million subordinated loan scheme to support start-ups, scale-ups and SMEs affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a Belgian scheme of €250 million, financed by the Flemish region, to support companies in the context (...)

State aid: Commission approves French plans to provide €7 billion in urgent liquidity support to Air France* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €7 billion French aid measure consisting of a State guarantee on loans and a shareholder loan to Air France to provide (...)

State aid: Commission approves €30 million Italian scheme to support SMEs in the agriculture and fishery sectors affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €30 million Italian scheme to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the agricultural and (...)

Mergers: Commission clears Aurubis’ acquisition of Metallo* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, Aurubis’ acquisition of Metallo, a large copper scrap refiner. The Commission concluded that the merger would not adversely affect competition in the European (...)

STATE AID: COMMISSION APPROVES €130 MILLION DANISH SCHEMES TO SUPPORT SMES AFFECTED BY CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK* The European Commission has approved four Danish schemes with a budget of DKK 970 million (approximately €130 million) granting tax deferrals and comparable measures to ease liquidity (...)

STATE AID: COMMISSION APPROVES GUARANTEE SCHEME OF UP TO €530 MILLION TO SUPPORT THE WALLOON ECONOMY IN CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK* The European Commission has approved a Belgian scheme of up to €530 million, financed by the Walloon region, to support companies in the context of the coronavirus (...)

State aid: Commission approves modification of Greek guarantee measure to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved Greece’s modification of a previously approved guarantee scheme to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak, (...)

State aid: Commission approves €101.5 million Lithuanian rent compensation scheme to support sectors affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a Lithuanian €101.5 million rent compensation scheme to support tenants operating in certain sectors, including retail, (...)

State aid: Commission approves €2 billion Slovenian guarantee and rent relief schemes to support companies affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved two Slovenian schemes to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The schemes were approved under the (...)

State aid: Commission approves German “umbrella” scheme to support research, development, testing and production of coronavirus relevant products* The European Commission has approved a German “umbrella” scheme to support research, development, testing and production of coronavirus relevant (...)

State aid: Commission approves €900 million Hungarian schemes to support companies affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved three Hungarian aid measures, with a total budget of around € 900 million, to support the Hungarian economy in the context of the coronavirus (...)

State aid: Commission approves €5 billion loan guarantee by France to the Renault group to mitigate economic impact of coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a French aid measure consisting of a €5 billion loan guarantee to the Renault group to mitigate the economic impact of (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.55 billion Hungarian guarantee scheme to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €1.55 billion (approximately HUF 550 billion) Hungarian aid scheme to support the Hungarian economy in the context of the (...)

State aid: Commission approves two additional Estonian schemes to support companies affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved two Estonian State aid schemes to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The schemes were approved under the State aid (...)

State aid: Commission approves €550 million German State-guaranteed loan to compensate airline Condor for damage caused by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has found a State-guaranteed €550 million public loan in favour of German charter airline Condor to be in line with EU State (...)

Antitrust: Commission seeks feedback on commitments offered by Broadcom concerning TV set-top box and modem chipset markets* The European Commission invites comments from interested parties on commitments offered by Broadcom to address competition concerns in relation to Broadcom’s conduct in (...)

State aid: Commission approves €4 million Belgian scheme to support coronavirus related research and development projects* The European Commission has approved a €4 million Belgian direct grant scheme for the Brussels-Capital region to support coronavirus related research and development (...)

State aid: Commission approves €16.6 billion Polish repayable advance scheme to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a Polish scheme in the form of repayable advances, with a total budget of €16.6 billion(approximately PLN 75 billion), to (...)

State aid: Commission approves French guarantee scheme for exporting companies affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a French guarantee scheme for small and midsize companies with export activities that are affected by coronavirus outbreak. The scheme is (...)

State aid: Commission approves €5 million Lithuanian scheme for SMEs active in road freight transport affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €5 million direct grant scheme to support the Lithuanian economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The (...)

State aid: Commission approves second Spanish “umbrella” scheme to support economy in coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved the second Spanish “umbrella” scheme to support the Spanish economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved under the State (...)

State aid: Commission approves €2 billion Slovenian “umbrella” scheme to support the economy in coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €2 billion Slovenian State aid scheme to support the Slovenian economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved (...)

State aid: Commission approves €200,000 direct grant scheme to support agricultural and aquaculture sectors in Brussels-Capital region following coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €200,000 Belgian regional scheme to support agricultural and aquaculture sectors in the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €3 billion Finnish scheme to support companies affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a Finnish scheme to support the Finnish economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary (...)

State aid: Commission approves €700 million Polish aid scheme to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €700 million scheme to support the Polish economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The support measures available under the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €100 million Dutch subsidised loan scheme to support SMEs affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €100 million Dutch State aid scheme to support small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The (...)

State aid: Commission approves Swedish public guarantee of up to €137 million to compensate airline SAS for damage caused by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has found a Swedish State guarantee of up to approximately €137 million on a revolving credit facility in favour of (...)

State aid: Commission approves €215 million Maltese employment aid scheme to support sectors affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €215 million Maltese wage subsidies scheme to support companies operating in the sectors affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The (...)

State aid: Commission approves a €150 million Bulgarian scheme to support SMEs affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €150 million (approx. BGN 294 million) Bulgarian scheme to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the context of the coronavirus (...)

State aid: Commission approves €7.8 billion Polish schemes to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved 11 Polish State aid schemes, with a total budget of PLN 35.1 billion (approximately €7.8 billion), to support the Polish economy in the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €110 million Polish loan and guarantee scheme to support the economy in coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a PLN 500 million (approximately €110 million) Polish aid scheme to support the economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. (...)

State aid: Commission approves €38 million Swedish scheme to compensate damages caused by cancelled or postponed cultural events due to coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules a SEK 420 million (approximately €38 million) Swedish scheme that (...)

State aid: Commission approves Dutch guarantee scheme of up to €10 billion to support the economy in context of coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a Dutch loan guarantee scheme of up to €10 billion to support the Dutch economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. (...)

State aid: Commission approves €5.3 million Maltese scheme to support research and development related to coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €5.3 million Maltese direct grants scheme to support investment in research and development (R&D) related to the coronavirus (...)

Mergers: Commission approves the merger of Mylan and Pfizer’s Upjohn division, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed merger between the global pharmaceutical company Mylan and Upjohn, a business division of Pfizer, which (...)

State aid: Commission approves €2 billion Finnish public guarantee and subsidised loan scheme to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €2 billion Finnish aid scheme to support the Finnish economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. (...)

State aid: Commission approves €2 billion Slovak employment aid scheme to preserve jobs and support the self-employed during the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €2 billion Slovak aid scheme for preserving employment and supporting self-employed individuals affected (...)

State aid: Commission approves €75.5 million Estonian schemes in the form of direct grants and payment advantages to support companies in coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved eight Estonian State aid schemes in the form of direct grants and payment advantages to provide (...)

State aid: Commission approves €100 million Italian guarantee scheme to support SMEs in the agriculture, forestry, fishery and aquaculture sectors affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €100 million Italian State aid scheme to support small and medium-sized (...)

State aid: Commission approves €50 million Italian subsidised loans scheme to support agriculture, forestry and fishery sectors affected by coronavirus outbreak in Friuli Venezia Giulia region* The European Commission has approved a €50 million Italian scheme to support the agricultural, (...)

State aid: Commission approves €200 million Irish scheme to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €200 million Irish scheme to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme, called “Sustaining Enterprise Scheme”, was (...)

State aid: Commission approves €7 billion French “umbrella” scheme to support the economy in the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €7 billion French “umbrella” scheme to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large corporates in France affected by the (...)

State aid: Commission approves Austrian guarantee schemes to support SMEs affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved Austrian guarantee schemes to support Austrian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The schemes (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1 billion Hungarian aid scheme to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a HUF 350 billion (approximately €1 billion) scheme to support the Hungarian economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The (...)

State aid: Commission approves €140 million Portuguese scheme to support investment in research, development, testing and production of coronavirus relevant products* The European Commission has approved a €140 million Portuguese aid scheme to support investment in research and development (...)

State aid: Commission approves €4 million Croatian direct grant scheme to support fishery and aquaculture sector in coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved an HRK 30 million (approximately €4 million) Croatian scheme to support the fishery and aquaculture sector in Croatia in (...)

State aid: Commission approves €88 million Hungarian aid scheme supporting researchers and developers in all sectors affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a HUF 31.5 billion (approximately €88 million) Hungarian wage subsidies support scheme for researchers and (...)

State aid: Commission approves €35.5 million Latvian direct grant scheme to support agriculture, fishery, food and school catering sectors in coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €35.5 million Latvian scheme to support the agricultural, fishery, food and school catering (...)

State aid: Commission approves prolongation and modification of the French “Fonds de solidarité” scheme for small enterprises in temporary financial difficulties due to coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has found France’s prolongation and modification of a previously approved scheme to (...)

State aid: Commission approves €770 million Bulgarian employment aid scheme for preserving jobs in sectors most affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a BGN 1.5 billion (approximately €770 million) Bulgarian wage subsidies support scheme for preserving (...)

State aid: Commission approves Czech scheme of up to €37 million to support investments in the production of coronavirus-relevant products* The European Commission has approved a Czech aid scheme of up to CZK 1 billion (approximately €37 million) to support investments by small and medium-sized (...)

State aid: Commission approves €453 million Swedish rent rebate scheme to support sectors affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission approved a Swedish rent rebate scheme of up to SEK 5 billion (approximately €453 million) in support of tenants operating in the sectors for hotels, (...)

State aid: Commission approves Danish public guarantee of up to €137 million to compensate airline SAS for damage caused by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has found a Danish State guarantee of up to approximately €137 million on a revolving credit facility in favor of Scandinavian (...)

State aid: Commission approves German guarantee scheme to stabilise trade credit insurance market in coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a German guarantee scheme to support the trade credit insurance market in the face of the coronavirus (...)

State aid: Commission approves Italian guarantee scheme to support the economy in coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved an Italian aid scheme to support the economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Framework (...)

State aid: Commission approves Italian guarantee scheme to support self-employed workers, SMEs and mid-caps affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved an Italian aid scheme to support self-employed workers and companies with up to 499 employees affected by (...)

State aid: Commission approves €10 billion French guarantee scheme to support domestic credit insurance market in coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €10 billion French guarantee scheme to support the domestic credit insurance market in the (...)

State aid: Commission approves Belgian scheme deferring payment by Walloon airports of concession fees to mitigate economic impact of coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a Belgian scheme deferring the payment by Walloon airports of concession feesto mitigate the economic (...)

State aid: Commission approves €455 million Swedish guarantee scheme to support airlines affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a Swedish loan guarantee scheme to support airlines affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved under the State aid (...)

State aid: Commission approves Belgian guarantee scheme mobilising €50 billion support for companies affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €50 billion Belgian loan guarantee scheme to support the Belgian economy in the context of the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €3.3 billion Romanian scheme to support SMEs in coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a RON 16 billion (approximately €3.3 billion) Romanian scheme to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the context of the coronavirus (...)

State aid: Commission approves amendments to previously approved German schemes to further support economy in coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has found the amendments to two German schemes to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak (“Bundesregelung Kleinbeihilfen (...)

State aid: Commission approves €115 million Polish scheme to support economy in coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a PLN 527 million (approximately €115 million) Polish scheme to support the Polish economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was (...)

State aid: Commission approves guarantee scheme of up to €3 billion to support the Flemish economy in coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a Belgian scheme of up to €3 billion, financed by the Flemish region, to support companies in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. (...)

State aid: Commission approves €150 million Lithuanian schemes to support economy in coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved two Lithuanian aid schemes to support the Lithuanian economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The schemes were approved under the State aid (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1 billion Croatian schemes to support companies affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved two Croatian schemes to support the Croatian economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The schemes were approved under the State aid (...)

State aid: Commission approves €15 billion Austrian liquidity scheme to support the economy in the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €15 billion Austrian liquidity scheme to support the economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved under (...)

Coronavirus: Commission Statement on consulting Member States on proposal to further expand State aid Temporary Framework to recapitalisation measures* Today, the European Commission has sent to Member States for consultation a draft proposal to further extend the scope of the State aid (...)

Antitrust: Commission provides guidance on allowing limited cooperation among businesses, especially for critical hospital medicines during the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has published a Temporary Framework Communication to provide antitrust guidance to companies cooperating (...)

State aid: Commission approves € 700 million Polish loan and guarantee scheme to support economy in coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a PLN 3.5 billion (approximately €700 million) Polish aid scheme to support the economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The (...)

State aid: Commission approves €20 million Portuguese credit line scheme to support fishery and aquaculture sector in coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a Portuguese scheme to support the Portuguese fishery and aquaculture sector in the context of the coronavirus (...)

The European Commission has approved a HUF 50 000 million (approximately €140 million) Hungarian aid scheme to support the Hungarian economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Framework adopted by the Commission on 19 March 2020, as (...)

State aid: Commission approves €5.4 billion Danish scheme to compensate companies particularly affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules a DKK 40 billion (approximately €5.4 billion) Danish scheme that compensates companies particularly (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.2 billion Greek scheme providing grants for SMEs to support economy in coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €1.2 billion Greek aid scheme to support the Greek economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved (...)

State aid: Commission approves €30 million Luxembourg scheme to support research and development and investments in the production of coronavirus relevant products* The European Commission has approved a €30 million Luxembourg aid scheme to support coronavirus related research and development (...)

State aid: Commission approves €110 million Lithuanian guarantee scheme to support economy in coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €110 million Lithuanian aid scheme to support the Lithuanian economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved (...)

State aid: Commission approves €255 million Bulgarian guarantee scheme to support SMEs in coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a Bulgarian BGN 500 million (approx. €255 million) public guarantee scheme to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the context of (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1 billion Greek scheme providing repayable advances to support the economy in the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €1 billion Greek aid scheme to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved under the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €790 million Croatian guarantee scheme for companies with export activities affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has found a HRK 6 billion (approximately €790 million) Croatian liquidity guarantee scheme for companies affected by the (...)

State aid: Commission approves £50 billion UK “umbrella” scheme to support the economy in the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a £50 billion (approximately €57 billion) “umbrella” UK scheme to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large corporates in the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €13 billion Portuguese schemes to support economy in coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved two Portuguese State aid schemes to support the Portuguese economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The schemes were approved under the State (...)

State aid: Commission approves €200 million Danish loan in support of the Travel Guarantee Fund for travel cancellations due to coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has found a Danish State loan facility of up to DKK 1.5 billion (approx. €200 million) in support of the Travel Guarantee (...)

State aid: Commission extends Temporary Framework to enable Member States to accelerate research, testing and production of coronavirus relevant products, to protect jobs and to further support the economy in the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has adopted an amendment extending (...)

State aid: Commission approves €2 billion Greek guarantee measure to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved today a €2 billion Greek aid scheme to support the Greek economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved (...)

State aid: Commission approves €23 million Dutch scheme to support the economy in the current coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €23 million Dutch scheme to support certain providers of social support and health care in offering services at home during the coronavirus (...)

State aid: Commission approves Polish scheme enabling public guarantees up to €22 billion to support economy in coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a Polish aid scheme to support the Polish economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak.The scheme was approved under (...)

State aid: Commission approves extension of German scheme for subsidised loans to support economy in coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a German State aid scheme extending measures adopted on 22 March 2020 to support the economy in the context of the coronavirus (...)

State aid: Commission approves €350 million Maltese guarantee scheme to support economy in coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a Maltese State aid scheme to support the economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved under the State aid (...)

State aid: Commission approves Spanish “umbrella” scheme to support economy in coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a Spanish aid scheme to support the Spanish economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary (...)

State aid: Commission approves a €9.1 billion Swedish guarantee scheme to support economy in coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a SEK 100 billion SEK (approximately €9.1 billion) Swedish aid scheme to support the economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The (...)

Commission approves €200 million Irish scheme to support the economy in the current coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has found a €200 million Irish scheme to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak to be in line with EU State aid rules. The scheme was approved under (...)

State aid: Commission approves French scheme deferring payment by airlines of certain taxes to mitigate economic impact of coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has found a French scheme deferring the payment by airlines of certain aeronautical taxes to be in line with EU State aid (...)

Antitrust: The Commission remains committed to providing swift antitrust guidance on cooperation initiatives in view of the coronavirus crisis* Today, the European Commission launched a dedicated website to provide guidance to companies, associations and their legal advisors where there is (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.2 billion French “Fonds de solidarité” scheme for small enterprises in temporary financial difficulties due to coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has found France’s €1.2 billion scheme to support small and micro-enterprises as well as self-employed people (...)

State aid: Commission approves €130 million Danish guarantee scheme for SMEs with export activities affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has found a DKK 1 billion (approximately €130 million) Danish liquidity guarantee scheme for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) (...)

State aid: Commission approves €1.75 billion Estonian schemes to support economy in coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved two Estonian State aid schemes to support the Estonian economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The schemes were approved under the State aid (...)

State aid: Commission amends Short-term export-credit insurance Communication in light of economic impact of coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has decided to temporarily remove all countries from the list of “marketable risk" countries under the Short-term export-credit insurance (...)

State aid: Commission approves Luxembourg guarantee measure to further support economy in coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved today another Luxembourg State aid scheme to support the Luxembourgish economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was (...)

Coronavirus: Commission Statement on consulting Member States on the proposal to extend State aid Temporary Framework* This evening, the European Commission has sent to Member States for consultation a draft proposal to extend the State aid Temporary Framework adopted on 19 March 2020 to (...)

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

The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules a DKK 10 billion (approximately €1.3 billion) Danish scheme that partially compensates the self-employed for the losses of turnover suffered due to the coronavirus outbreak. Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, in charge of (...)

The European Commission has approved two separate UK State aid schemes to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The schemes were approved under the State aid Temporary Framework to support the economy in the context of the COVID-19 (...)

The European Commission has approved the Italian State guarantee supporting a debt moratorium from banks to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Framework to support the economy in the context of (...)

The European Commission has found Luxembourg’s €300 million scheme to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak to be in line with EU State aid rules. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Framework to support the economy in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak (...)

Antitrust: Commission prolongs the validity of block exemption for liner shipping consortia* The European Commission has prolonged for another four years the regulation outlining the conditions under which liner shipping consortia can provide joint services without infringing EU antitrust (...)

State aid: Commission approves German direct grant scheme to support companies affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has found a German scheme to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak to be in line with EU State aid rules. The scheme was approved under the (...)

State aid: Commission approves German guarantee measure to further support economy in coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved today another German State aid scheme to support the German economy in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved under the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €20 billion Spanish guarantee schemes for companies and self-employed affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has found two Spanish guarantee schemes for companies and self-employed workers affected by the coronavirus outbreak to be in line with (...)

State aid: Commission approves state support for €250 million Latvian subsidised loan scheme and loan guarantee scheme for companies affected by coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has found Latvian loan guarantee scheme and subsidised loan scheme for companies affected by coronavirus (...)

State aid: Commission approves €3 billion Portuguese guarantee schemes for SMEs and midcaps affected by Coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has found four Portuguese guarantee schemes for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and midcaps affected by the Coronavirus outbreak to be (...)

State aid: Commission approves €50 million Italian support scheme for production and supply of medical equipment and masks during Coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved a €50 million Italian aid scheme to support the production and supply of medical devices, such as (...)

State aid: Commission approves German measures to support economy in Coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved two German State aid schemes to support the German economy in the context of the Coronavirus outbreak. The schemes were approved under the State aid Temporary (...)

State aid: Commission approves French schemes to support economy in Coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has approved three French State aid schemes to support the French economy in the context of the Coronavirus outbreak. The schemes were approved under the State aid Temporary (...)

State aid: Commission approves Danish guarantee scheme for SMEs affected by Coronavirus outbreak* The European Commission has found a DKK 1 billion (approx. €130 million) Danish guarantee scheme for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) affected by Coronavirus outbreak to be in line with EU (...)

State aid: Commission approves Danish public financing of Fehmarn Belt fixed rail-road link* The European Commission has concluded that the public financing model of the Fehmarn Belt coast-to-coast infrastructure between Denmark and Germany is in line with EU State aid rules. Executive (...)

SPECIAL MEASURES DUE TO CORONAVIRUS / COVID-19* DELAY OF MERGER NOTIFICATIONS DG COMP has put in place a number of measures to ensure business continuity in the enforcement of the EU Merger Regulation. However, due to the complexities and disruptions caused by the Coronavirus, companies are (...)

State aid: Commission launches in-depth investigation into public service delegation contracts for maritime services to Corsica* The European Commission has launched an in-depth investigation to determine whether the public service delegation contracts for maritime services to Corsica awarded (...)

State aid: the Commission launches an in-depth investigation into the regulation mechanism for natural gas storage in France* The European Commission has launched an in-depth investigation in order to determine whether the regulation mechanism for the storage of natural gas implemented by (...)

State aid: Commission opens in-depth investigation into €400 million Italian government loan to Alitalia* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether Italy’s € 400 million loan granted to Alitalia constitutes State aid and whether it complies with the rules on (...)

Mergers: Commission approves Assa Abloy’s acquisition of Agta Record, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Agta Record by Assa Abloy. The approval is conditional on the implementation of a remedy package by Assa (...)

State aid: Commission approves around €36 million Romanian rescue aid to state-owned flag carrier TAROM* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, Romania’s plans to grant a temporary loan of approximately €36.7 million (around RON 176 million) to the state-owned flag (...)

State Aid: Commission clears public support to Timișoara Airport, airport fees and discounts, as well as individual agreements with Wizz Air* The European Commission has cleared the public funding granted by Romania to Timișoara Airport between 2007 and 2009, as well as the fees payable by all (...)

Antitrust: Commission fines hotel group Meliá €6.7 million for discriminating between customers* The European Commission has fined Spanish hotel group Meliá €6 678 000 for including restrictive clauses in its agreements with tour operators. These clauses discriminate consumers within the European (...)

Mergers: Commission approves acquisition of joint control over Prosegur Alarmas by Telefónica and Prosegur* The European Commission has approved unconditionally, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of joint control over Prosegur Alarmas by Telefónica and Prosegur. The (...)

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

Antitrust: Commission fines NBCUniversal €14.3 million for restricting sales of film merchandise products* The European Commission has fined several companies belonging to Comcast Corporation, including NBCUniversal LLC, (“NBCUniversal”) €14 327 000 for restricting traders from selling licensed (...)

Mergers: Commission approves AbbVie’s acquisition of Allergan, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Allergan by AbbVie. The approval is conditional on the divestment of a product under development by Allergan to (...)

Mergers: Commission approves Danaher’s acquisition of GE Healthcare Life Sciences’ Biopharma Business, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of General Electric’s Healthcare Life Sciences Biopharma Business by Danaher (...)

Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into proposed acquisition of DSME by HHIH* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed acquisition of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering CO., Ltd (DSME) by another shipbuilding group, Hyundai (...)

Mergers: Commission approves Varta AG’s acquisition of Energizer’s divestment business, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, Varta AG as a suitable purchaser of assets divested by Energizer in order to acquire Spectrum Brands’ batteries and (...)

State aid: Commission approves German scheme for very high capacity broadband networks in Bavaria* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a Bavarian scheme to deploy very high capacity networks in Bavaria. The aid will bring very fast broadband to customers in areas (...)

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

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

State aid: Commission approves over €22 million of public support to promote rail transport operability in the Netherlands* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, €22.2 million of public support to upgradetraffic management equipment on freight locomotives in the (...)

Antitrust: Commission opens investigation into possible collusion by two French retailers in a purchasing alliance* The European Commission has opened a formal antitrust investigation to assess whether two French groups of retailers, Casino Guichard-Perrachon (known as ‘Casino’) and Les (...)

State aid: Commission opens in-depth investigation into public support for chemical company PCC’s plant in Poland* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether two support measures totalling €39 million awarded by Poland to chemical company PCC MCAA Sp. Zo.o for (...)

Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into proposed acquisition of Chantiers de l’Atlantique by Fincantieri* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed acquisition of Chantiers de l’Atlantique by Fincantieri, under the EU Merger Regulation. The (...)

State aid: Commission opens in-depth investigation into Hungarian support measures to Malév Ground Handling* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether various financing measures totalling approximately €21 million granted by Hungarian State-owned entities to (...)

State aid: Commission approves market conform recapitalisation of Romanian CEC Bank* The European Commission has found Romania’s plans to inject €200 million of capital in fully state-owned CEC Bank to be free of any State aid. The Commission found that the recapitalisation will be carried out (...)

State aid: Commission opens investigation into public support for Air Nostrum’s fleet renewal in Spain* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether the plan by the Spanish region of Valencia to grant €9 million of public support to regional airline Air Nostrum (...)

State aid: Commission approves the British Capacity Market scheme* Following an in-depth investigation, the European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules the British Capacity Market scheme introduced in 2014 to safeguard security of electricity supply. In July 2014, the Commission (...)

Antitrust: Commission imposes interim measures on Broadcom in TV and modem chipset markets* The European Commission has ordered Broadcom to stop applying certain provisions contained in agreements with six of its main customers. This will prevent serious and irreparable harm to competition (...)

STATE AID: COMMISSION OPENS INVESTIGATION INTO PROPOSED PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR SAMSUNG PLANT IN HUNGARY* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether Hungary’s plans to grant €108 million of public support to Samsung SDI for investing in the expansion of its battery (...)

STATE AID: COMMISSION APPROVES MARKET CONFORM ASSET PROTECTION SCHEME FOR BANKS IN GREECE* The European Commission has found Greek plans aimed at supporting the reduction of non-performing loans of Greek banks to be free of any State aid. The Commission found that, under the asset protection (...)

Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into joint ventures proposed by Boeing and Embraer* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed creation of two joint ventures by aircraft manufacturers Boeing and Embraer, under the EU Merger Regulation. (...)

Mergers: Commission clears Novelis’ acquisition of Aleris, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of Aleris by Novelis. The decision is conditional on the divestiture of Aleris’ aluminium automotive body sheets business in (...)

Antitrust: Commission fines Coroos and Groupe CECAB €31.6 million for participating in canned vegetables cartel* The European Commission has fined Coroos and Groupe CECAB a total of € 31 647 000 for breaching EU antitrust rules. Bonduelle was not fined as it revealed the existence of the cartel (...)

Mergers: Commission clears E.ON’s acquisition of Innogy, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition by E.ON of Innogy’s distribution and consumer solutions business as well as certain of its electricity generation assets. The (...)

State aid: Commission opens in-depth investigations into individual “excess profit” tax rulings granted by Belgium to 39 multinational companies* The European Commission has opened separate in-depth investigations to assess whether “excess profit” tax rulings granted by Belgium to 39 multinational (...)

Antitrust: Commission sends Statement of Objections to O2 CZ, CETIN and T-Mobile CZ for their network sharing agreement* The European Commission has informed Czech operators of mobile telephony O2 CZ and T-Mobile CZ, as well as the Czech telecom infrastructure provider CETIN of its preliminary (...)

Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into PKN Orlen’s proposed acquisition of Lotos* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed acquisition of Lotos by PKN Orlen, under the EU Merger Regulation. The Commission is concerned that the merger may (...)

State aid: France to recover €8.5 million of illegal aid to Ryanair at Montpellier airport* The European Commission has found that the marketing agreements concluded between the local Association for the Promotion of Touristic and Economic Flows (APFTE) and Ryanair at the airport of Montpellier (...)

State aid: Commission approves €300 million public support for the development of ultrafast broadband network in Greece* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, €300 million of public support for Greece’s Ultrafast Broadband Infrastructure Scheme. The scheme will bring (...)

State aid: Commission approves public support for Croatian LNG terminal at Krk island* The European Commission has found Croatian plans to support the construction and operation of a liquid natural gas (LNG) terminal at Krk island to be in line with EU State aid rules. The project will (...)

Antitrust: Commission consults stakeholders on guidance for national courts when handling disclosure information* The European Commission is inviting comments on a draft communication to assist national courts in dealing with requests to disclose confidential information in proceedings for the (...)

State aid: Commission approves support for six offshore wind farms in France* The European Commission has found support to six large offshore wind farms in French territorial waters to be in line with EU State aid rules. The measures will help France reduce CO2 emissions, in line with EU (...)

Antitrust: Commission closes proceedings against Slovak rail company ZSSK related to an inspection* On 25 September 2018, the European Commission sent a Statement of Objections to the Slovak rail company ZSSK. The Commission informed ZSSK about its preliminary view that the company obstructed (...)

Mergers: Commission clears Vodafone’s acquisition of Liberty Global’s cable business in Czechia, Germany, Hungary and Romania, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition by Vodafone of Liberty Global’s cable business in (...)

Antitrust: Commission fines US chipmaker Qualcomm €242 million for engaging in predatory pricing* The European Commission has fined Qualcomm €242 million for abusing its market dominance in 3G baseband chipsets. Qualcomm sold below cost, with the aim of forcing its competitor Icera out of the (...)

Antitrust: Commission opens investigation into possible anti-competitive conduct of Amazon* The European Commission has opened a formal antitrust investigation to assess whether Amazon’s use of sensitive data from independent retailers who sell on its marketplace is in breach of EU competition (...)

Mergers: Commission approves GlaxoSmithKline’s acquisition of Pfizer’s Consumer Health Business, subject to conditions* Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of Pfizer’s Consumer Health Business by GlaxoSmithKline. The decision is conditional upon the global (...)

Antitrust: Commission fines Sanrio €6.2 million for restricting cross-border sales of merchandising products featuring Hello Kitty characters* The European Commission has fined Sanrio €6.2 million for banning traders from selling licensed merchandise to other countries within the EEA. This (...)

Mergers: Commission approves the acquisition of Flybe by Connect Airways, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of UK regional air carrier Flybe by Connect Airways, a consortium by Virgin Atlantic, Stobart Aviation and (...)

Mergers: Commission fines Canon €28 million for partially implementing its acquisition of Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation before notification and merger control approval* The European Commission has fined Canon, the Japan-based imaging and optical products manufacturer, €28 million for (...)

The European Commission has opened a formal antitrust investigation to assess whether Broadcom may be restricting competition through exclusivity practices, in breach of EU rules. The Commission intends to impose interim measures during the investigation with regard to TV and modem chipsets (...)

Mergers: Commission approves acquisition of L3 Technologies by Harris Corporation, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of L3 Technologies by Harris Corporation, both aerospace and defence companies based in the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €431 million public support for cleaner transport in German cities* The European Commission has found German plans to support the retrofitting of municipal and commercial diesel vehicles to be in line with EU State aid rules. The measure should contribute to (...)

State aid: Commission approves €5.4 billion support for production of electricity from renewable sources in Italy* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a scheme to support electricity production from renewable sources in Italy. The measure will contribute to the EU (...)

State aid: Commission opens in-depth investigation into capital injections in favour of PostNord and Post Danmark* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether certain capital injections granted by Denmark and Sweden to PostNord and Post Danmark are in line (...)

State aid: Commission opens in-depth investigation into public financing of Fehmarn Belt fixed rail-road link* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to determine whether the public financing model of the Fehmarn Belt fixed rail-road link is in line with EU State aid (...)

Mergers: Commission prohibits proposed merger between Tata Steel and ThyssenKrupp The European Commission has prohibited the creation of a joint venture by Tata Steel and ThyssenKrupp under the EU Merger Regulation. The merger would have reduced competition and increased prices for different (...)

State aid: Commission opens in-depth investigation into Lithuanian electricity strategic reserve measure* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether Lithuanian support to energy company AB Lietuvos Energija in the context of a strategic reserve measure may (...)

Antitrust: Commission confirms unannounced inspections in the grocery retail sector in France* The European Commission can confirm that on 20 May 2019 its officials carried out unannounced inspections at the premises of companies active in the grocery retail sector in France. The Commission (...)

Antitrust: Commission fines Barclays, RBS, Citigroup, JPMorgan and MUFG €1.07 billion for participating in foreign exchange spot trading cartel* In two settlement decisions, the European Commission has fined five banks for taking part in two cartels in the Spot Foreign Exchange market for 11 (...)

Antitrust: Commission opens investigation into Insurance Ireland data pooling system* The European Commission has opened a formal antitrust investigation into Insurance Ireland to assess whether the conditions of access to its Insurance Link data pooling system may restrict competition, in (...)

Antitrust: Commission fines AB InBev €200 million for restricting cross-border sales of beer* The European Commission has fined AB InBev €200 409 000 for breaching EU antitrust rules. AB InBev, the world’s biggest beer company, has abused its dominant position on the Belgian beer market by (...)

State aid: Commission approves provisional measure ensuring security of local electricity supply in Slovakia* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules the compensation granted by Slovakia to electric utility company Slovenské Elektrárne a.s. for temporarily supplying a (...)

Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into Telia Company’s proposed acquisition of Bonnier Broadcasting* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed acquisition of Bonnier Broadcasting by Telia Company under the EU Merger Regulation. The (...)

Antitrust: Commission accepts commitments by Mastercard and Visa to cut inter-regional interchange fees* The European Commission has made commitments offered by Mastercard and Visa legally binding under EU antitrust rules. The companies will significantly reduce (on average by around 40%) (...)

State aid: Commission approves €385 million support for production of electricity from renewable sources in Lithuania* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a scheme to support electricity production from renewable energy sources in Lithuania. The measure, open to all (...)

Mergers: Commission approves Liberty House Group purchase of ArcelorMittal’s divestment businesses* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, Liberty House Group as a suitable purchaser of several ArcelorMittal steel plants, sold under commitments made by (...)

Mergers: Commission approves Nidec’s acquisition of Embraco, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition by Nidec of Embraco, Whirlpool’s refrigeration compressor business. The approval is conditional on compliance with (...)

Mergers: Commission fines General Electric €52 million for providing incorrect information in LM Wind takeover* The European Commission has fined General Electric €52 million for providing incorrect information during the Commission’s investigation under the EU Merger Regulation of GE’s planned (...)

Antitrust: Commission sends Statements of Objections to Valve and five videogame publishers on “geo-blocking” of PC video games* The European Commission has informed Valve, owner of the “Steam” video game distribution platform, and five videogame publishers, of its preliminary view that the (...)

Antitrust: Commission sends Statement of Objections to BMW, Daimler and VW for restricting competition on emission cleaning technology* The European Commission has informed BMW, Daimler and VW (Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche) of its preliminary view that they have breached EU antitrust rules from (...)

Antitrust: Commission fines Nike €12.5 million for restricting cross-border sales of merchandising products* The European Commission has fined Nike €12.5 million for banning traders from selling licensed merchandise to other countries within the EEA. This restriction concerned merchandising (...)

Mergers: Commission approves Danish Agro’s acquisition of Konekesko’s Baltic and Finnish agrimachinery businesses, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition by Danish Agro of Konekesko’s agricultural machinery distribution (...)

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

Mergers: Commission approves acquisition of Jardine Lloyd Thompson by Marsh & McLennan Companies, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of Jardine Lloyd Thompson (“JLT”) by Marsh & McLennan Companies (“MMC”). The (...)

Antitrust: Commission fines Google €1.49 billion for abusive practices in online advertising* The European Commission has fined Google €1.49 billion for breaching EU antitrust rules. Google has abused its market dominance by imposing a number of restrictive clauses in contracts with third-party (...)

Mergers: Commission approves acquisition of Asco by Spirit, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of Asco by Spirit. Both companies are active in the aerospace equipment industry worldwide. The approval is conditional on (...)

Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into E.ON’s proposed acquisition of Innogy* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed acquisition of Innogy by E.ON under the EU Merger Regulation. The Commission has concerns that the proposed (...)

Antitrust: Commission accepts commitments by Disney, NBCUniversal, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros. and Sky on cross-border pay-TV services* The European Commission has made commitments offered by Disney, NBCUniversal, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros. and Sky legally binding under EU antitrust rules. (...)

Antitrust: Commission fines car safety equipment suppliers € 368 million in cartel settlement* The European Commission has fined Autoliv and TRW a total of € 368 277 000 for breaching EU antitrust rules. Takata was not fined as it revealed the cartels to the Commission. The companies took part (...)

State aid: Commission opens in-depth investigation into public financing of Øresund fixed rail-road link* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether Danish and Swedish public support for the Øresund fixed rail-road link is in line with EU State aid rules. This (...)

State aid: Commission approves support for four floating demonstration offshore wind farms in France* The European Commission has found four French projects promoting electricity generation from renewable wind energy sources to be in line with EU State aid rules. The measures will further (...)

Mergers: Commission alleges Telefónica breached commitments given to secure clearance of E-Plus acquisition* The European Commission has sent a Statement of Objections to Telefónica Deutschland alleging the company breached commitments it offered to secure the Commission’s approval under the EU (...)

Antitrust: Commission confirms unannounced inspections in the farmed Atlantic salmon sector* The European Commission can confirm that on 19 February 2019 its officials carried out unannounced inspections in several Member States at the premises of several companies in the sector of farmed (...)

Mergers: Commission approves the acquisition of joint control of Andromeda, Nireus and Selonda by Amerra and Mubadala, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of joint control over Andromeda, Nireus and Selonda, all active in (...)

Mergers: Commission approves merger between Amcor and Bemis, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the merger between Amcor and Bemis. Both companies manufacture flexible packaging products worldwide. The approval is conditional on the (...)

Mergers: Commission prohibits Siemens’ proposed acquisition of Alstom* The European Commission has prohibited Siemens’ proposed acquisition of Alstom under the EU Merger Regulation. The merger would have harmed competition in markets for railway signalling systems and very high-speed trains. The (...)

Mergers: Commission prohibits Wieland’s proposed acquisition of Aurubis Rolled Products and Schwermetall* The European Commission has prohibited, under the EU Merger Regulation, Wieland’s proposed acquisition of Aurubis Rolled Products and Aurubis’ stake in Schwermetall. It had serious concerns (...)

Report on Competition enforcement in the pharmaceutical sector (2009-2017)* On 28 January 2019, the European Commission adopted the Report ‘European competition authorities working together for affordable and innovative medicines’ on competition enforcement in the pharmaceutical sector. The (...)

State aid: Commission approves €36 million Polish investment aid to LG Chem’s electric vehicles batteries plant* The European Commission has found Poland’s €36 million investment aid to chemical company LG Chem for a new electric vehicle batteries plant in the Dolnoślaskie region to be in line with (...)

Antitrust: Commission fines Mastercard €570 million for obstructing merchants’ access to cross-border card payment services* The European Commission has fined the card scheme Mastercard €570 566 000 for limiting the possibility for merchants to benefit from better conditions offered by banks (...)

Mergers: Commission approves BASF’s acquisition of Solvay’s nylon business, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Solvay’s nylon business by BASF. The approval is conditional on the divestiture of a remedy package. (...)

State aid: Commission opens in-depth investigation into tax treatment of Nike in the Netherlands* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to examine whether tax rulings granted by the Netherlands to Nike may have given the company an unfair advantage over its competitors, (...)

State aid: Commission to prolong EU State aid rules and launch evaluation* The European Commission plans to prolong for two years seven sets of State aid rules, otherwise expiring in 2020. The Commission has also launched today an evaluation of those rules and of other State aid rules to (...)

Antitrust: Commission sends Statement of Objections in US Dollar supra-sovereign, sovereign and agency bond trading cartel* The European Commission has informed four banks of its preliminary view that they have breached EU antitrust rules by colluding, in periods from 2009 to 2015, to distort (...)

State aid: Commission concludes Gibraltar gave around €100 million of illegal tax advantages to multinational companies* The European Commission has found that Gibraltar’s corporate tax exemption regime for interest and royalties, as well as five tax rulings, are illegal under EU State aid (...)

State aid: Commission approves plan by France, Germany, Italy and the UK to give €1.75 billion public support to joint research and innovation project in microelectronics* The European Commission has found that an integrated project jointly notified by France, Germany, Italy and the UK for (...)

State aid: Commission approves reductions in renewable electricity and cogeneration surcharges for energy-intensive companies in Greece* The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, reductions granted to energy-intensive companies on a surcharge to finance support for (...)

State aid: Commission approves Bavarian project for Gigabit broadband networks* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules a Bavarian project to deploy very high capacity networks in six municipalities. The aid will bring very fast broadband to customers in areas where the (...)

Antitrust: Commission fines BEH Group € 77 million for blocking access to key natural gas infrastructure in Bulgaria* The European Commission has fined Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH), its gas supply subsidiary Bulgargaz and its gas infrastructure subsidiary Bulgartransgaz (the BEH group) €77 (...)

Antitrust: Commission fines Guess €40 million for anticompetitive agreements to block cross-border sales* The European Commission today fined the clothing company Guess €39 821 000 for restricting retailers from online advertising and selling cross-border to consumers in other Member States (...)

State aid: Romania needs to recover incompatible aid from petrochemical company Oltchim* The European Commission has found that Romanian petrochemical company Oltchim received around €335 million of incompatible aid from Romania, since the company’s failed privatisation in September 2012. (...)

State aid: Commission finds no aid in €1.1 billion extension of Athens International Airport concession* The European Commission has authorised Greece, under EU State aid rules, to extend by 20 years the concession granted to AIA to operate Athens International Airport. The fee AIA will pay for (...)

Mergers: Commission approves acquisition of Spectrum Brands’ batteries and portable lighting business by Energizer, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the acquisition of Spectrum Brands’ batteries and portable lighting business by (...)

Mergers: Commission approves acquisition of Houghton by Quaker, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of Houghton by Quaker, both producers of industrial lubricants. The decision is conditional on the divestment of (...)

Mergers: Commission approves acquisition of Gemalto by Thales, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of Gemalto by Thales. The approval is conditional on the divestment of Thales’ general purpose hardware security (...)

Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into proposed acquisition by Vodafone of Liberty Global’s business in Czechia, Germany, Hungary and Romania* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess Vodafone’s proposed acquisition of Liberty Global’s business in (...)

State aid: Commission approves €350 million per year in public funding to promote shift of freight transport from road to rail in Germany* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules a German aid scheme to promote the shift of freight traffic from road to rail. The scheme will (...)

Antitrust: Commission imposes binding obligations on TenneT to increase electricity trading capacity between Denmark and Germany* The European Commission has adopted a decision rendering legally binding commitments offered by German grid operator TenneT to significantly increase cross-border (...)

State aid: Commission refers Romania to Court for failure to recover illegal aid worth up to €92 million* The European Commission has decided to refer Romania to the European Court of Justice for failing to fully recover illegal State aid worth up to €92 million from Viorel and Ioan Micula and (...)

Mergers: Commission approves acquisition of Armstrong’s ceilings business outside the Americas by Knauf, subject to conditions* The European Commission has conditionally approved under the EU Merger Regulation the acquisition of Armstrong World Industries’ ceilings business outside the Americas (...)

Antitrust: Commission seeks feedback on commitments offered by Visa and Mastercard on inter-regional interchange fees* The European Commission is inviting comments from interested parties on commitments offered separately by Visa and Mastercard to address competition concerns relating to (...)

Mergers: Commission approves acquisition of Fibria by Suzano, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the acquisition of Fibria by Suzano, both active in the production and supply of wood pulp from eucalyptus trees. The decision is conditional (...)

Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into proposed acquisition of VDM by Aperam in nickel alloy industry* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed acquisition of VDM by Aperam under the EU Merger Regulation. At this stage, the Commission (...)

State aid: Commission approves €600 million in public support for innovative solar power installations in France* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules a measure to support innovative installations for electricity production from solar energy. The measure will further (...)

State aid: Commission approves aid-free privatisation of German HSH Nordbank* The European Commission has approved the sale of HSH Nordbank by the German Länder of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein to private investors, after finding the sale was carried out through an open, competitive and (...)

Antitrust: Commission opens investigation into airline ticket distribution services* The European Commission has opened a formal investigation to assess whether agreements between booking system providers Amadeus and Sabre on the one hand, and airlines and travel agents on the other, may (...)

State aid: Commission finds no aid given to container terminal operators in Belgium’s Port of Antwerp* The European Commission has concluded that reductions in compensation payments granted by the state-owned Port of Antwerp to two container terminal operators were granted on market terms and (...)

State aid: Commission approves €107 million public support for greener buses in Germany* The European Commission has found German plans to support the retrofitting of diesel buses used for public transport to be in line with EU State aid rules. The measure should contribute to reducing nitrogen (...)

Mergers: Commission approves acquisition of Europac by DS Smith, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the acquisition of Europac by DS Smith, both manufacturers of paper and packaging products. The decision is conditional on the divestment (...)

Antitrust: Commission seeks feedback on commitments offered by Disney in pay-TV investigation* The European Commission is inviting comments from interested parties on commitments offered by Disney to address competition concerns relating to contractual clauses preventing the cross-border (...)

State aid: Romania needs to recover around €60 million of incompatible aid from energy producer CE Hunedoara* The European Commission has found that energy producer Complexul Energetic Hunedoara (CE Hunedoara) received around €60 million of incompatible State aid from Romania through four (...)

State aid: Commission approves public support for natural gas interconnector between Greece and Bulgaria* The European Commission has found Bulgarian and Greek plans to support the construction and operation of a natural gas interconnector to be in line with EU State aid rules. The project (...)

Mergers: Commission clears the creation of six joint ventures by Daimler and BMW, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the creation of six joint ventures by Daimler and BMW, subject to conditions. Daimler and BMW, both active in car (...)

Mergers: Commission approves Disney’s acquisition of parts of Fox, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of parts of Fox by Disney, both US based global media companies. The decision is conditional on full (...)

Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into new joint venture proposed by steel suppliers Tata Steel and ThyssenKrupp* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed creation of a joint venture by Tata Steel and ThyssenKrupp, under the EU Merger (...)

Mergers: Commission approves Mars’ acquisition of AniCura, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of AniCura, a veterinary clinic chain, by Mars, a supplier of pet food, including dietetic pet food. The approval is (...)

Competition/Agriculture: Commission publishes report on application of competition rules in the agricultural sector* The European Commission has published the first report on the application of competition rules in the agricultural sector. The report shows that the work of European competition (...)

State aid: Commission opens in-depth investigation into measures in favour of Ryanair at Frankfurt-Hahn airport in Germany* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether measures in favour of Ryanair at the German airport of Frankfurt-Hahn are in line with (...)

State aid: Commission approves €200 million in public support for renewable energy for self-suppliers of electricity in France* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules a measure to support electricity production from renewable sources for self-consumption in France until (...)

State aid: Commission approves €306 million in Greek public funding for the construction of southern section of E65 motorway* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules Greek public funding of €306 million for the construction of the southern section of the Central Greece (...)

Mergers: Commission approves acquisition of GitHub by Microsoft* The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of GitHub by Microsoft. The Commission concluded that effective competition in the relevant markets would continue and Microsoft would (...)

State aid: Commission approves extension of Danish tonnage tax scheme to new types of vessels* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules the extension of the existing Danish tonnage tax scheme to additional types of vessels. This will encourage ship registration in Europe (...)

State aid: Commission approves Slovakia’s €125 million investment aid to Jaguar Land Rover* The European Commission has concluded that Slovakia’s €125 million investment aid to Jaguar Land Rover is in line with EU State aid rules. The aid will contribute to the development of the region of Nitra, (...)

State aid: Commission approves Hungary’s €45 million investment aid to BorsodChem* The European Commission has found Hungary’s €45 million investment aid to chemical company BorsodChem Zrt to be in line with EU State aid rules. The aid will contribute to the development of the region of Northern (...)

Antitrust: Commission invites comments on future regime for liner shipping consortia* The European Commission is inviting comments on the legal framework exempting liner shipping consortia from EU antitrust rules that prohibit anticompetitive agreements between companies, known as the (...)

State aid: Commission approves €3.5 billion support to three offshore windfarms in Belgium* The European Commission has found Belgian plans to support three offshore windfarm projects to be in line with EU State aid rules. The measure will further EU energy and climate goals without unduly (...)

Antitrust: Commission sends Statement of Objections to Slovak rail company ZSSK for obstruction during inspection* The European Commission has informed Slovak rail company ZSSK of its preliminary view that the company obstructed a Commission inspection by giving incorrect information and (...)

State aid: Commission investigation did not find that Luxembourg gave selective tax treatment to McDonald’s* The Commission has found that the non-taxation of certain McDonald’s profits in Luxembourg did not lead to illegal State aid, as it is in line with national tax laws and the (...)

Antitrust: Commission opens formal investigation into possible collusion between BMW, Daimler and the VW group on clean emission technology* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether BMW, Daimler and VW (Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche) colluded, in breach of EU (...)

Mergers: Commission clears Apple’s acquisition of Shazam* The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of Shazam by Apple. The Commission concluded that the merger would not adversely affect competition in the European Economic Area or any (...)

State aid: Commission approves three support measures for renewable energy in Denmark* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules three schemes to support electricity production from wind and solar in Denmark in 2018 and 2019. Denmark has a goal of supplying 50% of its (...)

State aid: Commission approves new Slovenian commitment package for Nova Ljubljanska Banka* The European Commission has concluded that Slovenia’s aid for Nova Ljubljanska Banka (NLB) remains compatible with EU State aid rules on the basis of a new commitment package submitted by the Slovenian (...)

State aid: Commission approves most of the electricity contribution reductions granted to electricity-intensive companies in France in 2003-15 and asks France to recover part of the reductions* The European Commission has approved most of the electricity contribution reductions granted to (...)

Mergers: Commission approves Total Produce’s acquisition of Dole, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the acquisition by Total Produce of joint control over Dole. Both companies supply bagged salads, bananas and other fresh fruit and (...)

State aid: Commission approves €500 million in German public funding to promote energy efficiency in rail transport* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules a German scheme to support railway companies that invest in energy efficiency technologies. The measure will promote (...)

State aid: Commission approves French support for tidal energy demonstration plant Raz Blanchard* The European Commission has found a French project promoting electricity generation from tidal energy to be in line with EU State aid rules. The measure will contribute further the EU’s energy and (...)

Antitrust: Commission fines four consumer electronics manufacturers for fixing online resale prices* The European Commission today fined, in four separate decisions, consumer electronics manufacturers Asus, Denon & Marantz, Philips and Pioneer for imposing fixed or minimum resale prices on (...)

Mergers: Commission opens in-depth investigation into KME’s proposed acquisition of competing copper products supplier MKM* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed acquisition of MKM by KME, under the EU Merger Regulation. The Commission is concerned (...)

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

Antitrust: Commission fines Google €4.34 billion for illegal practices regarding Android mobile devices to strengthen dominance of Google’s search engine* The European Commission has fined Google €4.34 billion for breaching EU antitrust rules. Since 2011, Google has imposed illegal restrictions (...)

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

State aid: Commission approves public funding for five ferry connections between Croatian islands and mainland* The European Commission has found Croatian plans to grant HRK 250 million (€34 million) to ensure regular ferry connections on five routes between Croatian islands and the mainland to (...)

State aid: Spain needs to recover around €167 million of incompatible aid from postal operator Correos* The European Commission has found that Correos, the publicly-owned Spanish postal operator, was overcompensated for the delivery of its universal postal service obligation between 2004 and (...)

Mergers: Commission approves acquisition of UPC Austria by T-Mobile Austria* The European Commission has approved unconditionally under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of UPC Austria by T-Mobile Austria. The Commission concluded that the transaction would raise no competition (...)

Antitrust: Commission consults stakeholders on draft guidelines to help national courts estimate the economic harm caused by cartels* The European Commission is inviting comments on draft guidelines to help national courts estimate the share of price increases caused by a cartel that are (...)

State aid: Commission approves reductions of nuclear levy for electro-intensive users in Slovakia* The European Commission has found Slovakia’s plan to grant reductions on a nuclear levy to certain electro-intensive users to be in line with EU State aid rules. The measure will contribute to the (...)

Mergers: Commission approves Tronox’s acquisition of Cristal, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the acquisition of Cristal by Tronox, both major suppliers of titanium dioxide pigment. The approval is conditional on full compliance with (...)

MERGERS: COMMISSION CLEARS ZODIAC AND FLUIDRA POOL EQUIPMENT JOINT VENTURE, SUBJECT TO CONDITIONS* The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed creation of a joint venture between the swimming pool equipment businesses of Zodiac and Fluidra. The approval is (...)

MERGERS: COMMISSION OPENS IN-DEPTH INVESTIGATION INTO PROPOSED ACQUISITION OF SOLVAY’S NYLON BUSINESS BY BASF* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed acquisition of Solvay’s global nylon business by BASF, under the EU Merger Regulation. The Commission (...)

Antitrust: Commission opens investigation into restrictions to the free flow of gas sold by Qatar Petroleum in Europe* The European Commission has opened a formal investigation to assess whether supply agreements between Qatar Petroleum companies exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) and (...)

State aid: Commission finds Luxembourg gave illegal tax benefits to Engie; has to recover around €120 million* The European Commission has found that Luxembourg allowed two Engie group companies to avoid paying taxes on almost all their profits for about a decade. This is illegal under EU State (...)

State aid: Commission approves €165 million of investments by Croatia for the extension of the Istrian Y motorway* The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules a Croatian plan to prolong the Istrian Y motorway concession agreement between Croatia and the company Bina-Istra. (...)

MERGERS: COMMISSION OPENS IN-DEPTH INVESTIGATION INTO PROPOSED ACQUISITION OF TELE2 NL BY T-MOBILE NL IN THE NETHERLANDS* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed acquisition of Tele2 NL by T-Mobile NL under the EU Merger Regulation. The Commission is (...)

Antitrust: Commission confirms unannounced inspections in the styrene monomer purchasing sector* The European Commission can confirm that on 5 June 2018 its officials carried out unannounced inspections in several Member States at the premises of companies active in styrene monomer purchasing. (...)

Commission welcomes provisional political agreement reached by European Parliament and Council on new rules to make national competition authorities even more effective enforcers* The European Commission welcomes the provisional political agreement reached today by the European Parliament and (...)

Mergers: Commission confirms approval of acquisition of Dutch cable TV operator Ziggo by Liberty Global, subject to conditions* The European Commission has reapproved with conditions, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of Ziggo by Liberty Global. The merger was first approved in (...)

State aid: Commission approves compensation granted by Denmark to Post Danmark for its universal service obligation* The European Commission has concluded that the compensation granted by Denmark to Post Danmark to fulfil its public service mission during the period 2017-2019 is in line with (...)

State aid: Germany needs to recover illegal aid from certain large electricity users exempted from network charges in Germany in 2012-2013* The European Commission has concluded that the exemption for certain large electricity users in Germany from network charges in 2012-2013 was against EU (...)

Antitrust: Commission imposes binding obligations on Gazprom to enable free flow of gas at competitive prices in Central and Eastern European gas markets* The European Commission has adopted a decision imposing on Gazprom a set of obligations that address the Commission’s competition concerns (...)

MERGERS: COMMISSION CLEARS ARCELORMITTAL’S ACQUISITION OF ILVA, SUBJECT TO CONDITIONS* The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the acquisition of Ilva by ArcelorMittal. The decision is conditional on the divestiture of an extensive remedy package to preserve (...)

MERGERS: COMMISSION APPROVES ACQUISITION OF ROCKWELL COLLINS BY UTC, SUBJECT TO CONDITIONS* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of Rockwell Collins by United Technologies Corporation (UTC) in the aerospace sector. The decision is conditional on (...)

Antitrust: Commission confirms unannounced inspections in the metal packaging sector* The European Commission can confirm that on 24 April 2018 its officials carried out unannounced inspections in several Member States at the premises of companies active in the metal packaging sector. The (...)

MERGERS: COMMISSION APPROVES ACQUISITION OF MEFRO WHEELS BY ACCURIDE, SUBJECT TO CONDITIONS* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of steel wheels manufacturer Mefro Wheels by its competitor Accuride. The decision is conditional on the divestment (...)

MERGERS: COMMISSION CLEARS ACQUISITION OF PARTS OF BAYER’S CROP SCIENCE BUSINESS BY BASF, SUBJECT TO CONDITIONS* The European Commission has conditionally approved under the EU Merger Regulation the acquisition of parts of Bayer’s Crop Science business by BASF. This transaction is related to the (...)

Mergers: Commission fines Altice €125 million for breaching EU rules and controlling PT Portugal before obtaining merger approval* The European Commission has imposed a €124.5 million fine on Altice, the multinational cable and telecommunications company based in the Netherlands, for (...)

MERGERS: COMMISSIONS OPEN IN-DEPTH INVESTIGATION INTO APPLE’S PROPOSED ACQUISITION OF SHAZAM* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed acquisition of Shazam by Apple under the EU Merger Regulation. The Commission is concerned that the merger could (...)

Antitrust: Commission confirms unannounced inspections concerning distribution of sports media rights and other related rights* The European Commission can confirm that on 10 April 2018 its officials carried out unannounced inspections in several Member States at the premises of companies (...)

Antitrust: Commission fines eight producers of capacitors €254 million for participating in cartel* The European Commission has fined Elna, Hitachi Chemical, Holy Stone, Matsuo, NEC Tokin, Nichicon, Nippon Chemi-Con, Rubycon € 253 935 000. Together with the immunity applicant, Sanyo, they (...)

Mergers: Commission clears Bayer’s acquisition of Monsanto, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the acquisition of Monsanto by Bayer. The merger is conditional on the divestiture of an extensive remedy package, which addresses the parties’ (...)

Antitrust: Commission opens investigation into German grid operator TenneT for limiting cross border electricity capacity with Denmark* The European Commission has opened a formal investigation to assess whether German grid operator TenneT’s limitation of capacity from Western Denmark into (...)

Antitrust: Commission fines maritime car carriers and car parts suppliers a total of €546 million in three separate cartel settlements* In three separate decisions, the European Commission has fined four maritime car carriers €395 million, two suppliers of spark plugs €76 million, and two (...)

Mergers: Commission to assess the acquisition of Shazam by Apple* The European Commission has accepted a request from Austria, France, Iceland, Italy, Norway, Spain and Sweden to assess under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of Shazam by Apple. The Commission considers the (...)

Mergers: Commission approves Discovery’s acquisition of Scripps, subject to conditions; rejects referral request by Polish competition authority* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Scripps by Discovery, both US based global media (...)

Antitrust: Commission fines Qualcomm €997 million for abuse of dominant market position* The European Commission has fined Qualcomm €997m for abusing its market dominance in LTE baseband chipsets. Qualcomm prevented rivals from competing in the market by making significant payments to a key (...)

Mergers: Commission approves Qualcomm’s acquisition of NXP, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of NXP, based in the Netherlands, by Qualcomm of the US. The approval is conditional on full compliance with (...)

Competition: Commission welcomes new rules that benefit consumers by promoting more competition in processing of card payments* The European Commission has issued new requirements that ensure independence of payment card schemes and processing entities, to enhance competition in the card (...)

Mergers: Commission approves acquisition by Lufthansa of Air Berlin subsidiary LGW, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation Lufthansa’s proposed acquisition of certain Air Berlin assets, through the entity Luftfahrtgesellschaft Walter GmbH (...)

MERGERS: COMMISSION APPROVES PROPOSED ACQUISITION OF PARTS OF AIR BERLIN BY EASYJET* The European Commission has approved unconditionally under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of certain assets of Air Berlin by easyJet. The Commission concluded that the transaction would not (...)

Antitrust: International Skating Union’s restrictive penalties on athletes breach EU competition rules* The European Commission has decided that International Skating Union (ISU) rules imposing severe penalties on athletes participating in speed skating competitions that are not authorised by (...)

Antitrust: Commission sends Statement of Objections to AB InBev for preventing cheaper imports of beer into Belgium* The European Commission has informed AB InBev of its preliminary view that the company has abused its dominant position on the Belgian beer market, by hindering cheaper imports (...)

MERGERS: COMMISSION REFERS THE ACQUISITION OF PINI POLONIA BY SMITHFIELD TO THE POLISH COMPETITION AUTHORITY* The European Commission has referred the proposed transaction between Smithfield Foods of the US and Pini Polonia of Poland to the Polish Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (...)

Mergers: Commission approves acquisition of Bard by BD, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of Bard by BD. Both companies supply medical devices. The decision is conditional on the divestment of BD’s core needle biopsy (...)

Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of FTE by Valeo, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of FTE by Valeo, both automotive equipment suppliers. The decision is conditional on the divestment of Valeo’s passive (...)

State aid: Commission finds Luxembourg gave illegal tax benefits to Amazon worth around €250 million* The European Commission has concluded that Luxembourg granted undue tax benefits to Amazon of around €250 million. This is illegal under EU State aid rules because it allowed Amazon to pay (...)

State aid: Commission refers Ireland to Court for failure to recover illegal tax benefits from Apple worth up to €13 billion* The European Commission has decided to refer Ireland to the European Court of Justice for failing to recover from Apple illegal State aid worth up to €13 billion, as (...)

Antitrust: Commission fines Lithuanian Railways €28 million for hindering competition on rail freight market* The European Commission has fined Lithuanian Railways (Lietuvos geležinkeliai) an amount of €27 873 000 for hindering competition on the rail freight market, in breach of EU antitrust (...)

Antitrust: Commission fines Scania €880 million for participating in trucks cartel* The European Commission has found that Scania broke EU antitrust rules. It colluded for 14 years with five other truck manufacturers on truck pricing and on passing on the costs of new technologies to meet (...)

State aid: Commission approves German rescue aid to Air Berlin* The European Commission has endorsed under EU state aid rules Germany’s plans to grant Air Berlin a temporary €150 million bridging loan. The measure will allow for the orderly wind-down of the insolvent airline Air Berlin without (...)

MERGERS: COMMISSION APPROVES ACQUISITION OF PELICAN ROUGE BY SELECTA, SUBJECT TO CONDITION* The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of vending services provider Pelican Rouge of the Netherlands by Selecta of Switzerland. The clearance is (...)

MERGERS: COMMISSION OPENS IN-DEPTH INVESTIGATION INTO PROPOSED ACQUISITION OF MONSANTO BY BAYER* The Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed acquisition of Monsanto by Bayer under the EU Merger Regulation. The Commission has concerns that the merger may reduce (...)

MERGERS: COMMISSION CLEARS BOTH FMC’S ACQUISITION OF PARTS OF DUPONT’S CROP PROTECTION BUSINESS AND DUPONT’S ACQUISITION OF FMC’S HEALTH AND NUTRITION BUSINESS* The European Commission has conditionally approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, FMC’s proposed acquisition of parts of DuPont’s crop (...)

Antitrust: Commission sends Statement of Objections to Teva on ’pay for delay’ pharma agreement* The European Commission has informed pharmaceutical company Teva of its preliminary view that an agreement concluded with Cephalon was in breach of EU antitrust rules. Under the agreement, Teva (...)

Mergers: Commission alleges Merck and Sigma-Aldrich, General Electric, and Canon breached EU merger procedural rules* The Commission has sent three separate Statements of Objections to Merck and Sigma-Aldrich, General Electric and Canon alleging they breached EU merger rules: General Electric, (...)

Mergers: Commission approves acquisition of Opel by Peugeot* The European Commission has unconditionally approved the acquisition of Opel by Peugeot, under the EU Merger Regulation. The Commission concluded that the transaction would raise no competition concerns in the relevant markets. (...)

Mergers: Commission approves acquisition of Magnesita Refratários by RHI, subject to conditions* The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the acquisition of Magnesita Refratários by RHI. The decision is conditional on the divestment of the two companies’ overlapping (...)

Antitrust: Commission fines Google €2.42 billion for abusing dominance as search engine by giving illegal advantage to own comparison shopping service* The European Commission has fined Google €2.42 billion for breaching EU antitrust rules. Google has abused its market dominance as a search (...)

State aid: Commission approves French support for construction of €1.3 billion Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle airport express rail line* The European Commission has approved French support measures for the construction of an express railway line between Paris and the Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle airport. (...)

MERGERS: COMMISSION APPROVES ACQUISITION OF HUBER SILICA BY EVONIK, SUBJECT TO CONDITIONS* The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation Evonik’s acquisition of Huber Silica. The decision is conditional on the divestment of some of both companies’ activities related to (...)

Antitrust: Commission fines three car lighting system producers €27 million in cartel settlement* The European Commission has fined Automotive Lighting and Hella a total of €26 744 000 for participating in an automotive lighting cartel, in breach of EU antitrust rules. Valeo was not fined as it (...)

MERGERS: COMMISSION APPROVES ACQUISITION OF INTRUM JUSTITIA BY NORDIC CAPITAL, SUBJECT TO CONDITIONS* The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the acquisition of Intrum Justitia by Nordic Capital. The decision is conditional on the divestment of the companies’ (...)

MERGERS: COMMISSION APPROVES ACQUISITION OF ACTELION BY JOHNSON & JOHNSON, SUBJECT TO CONDITIONS* The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of Actelion Pharmaceuticals by Johnson & Johnson. The decision is subject to conditions (...)

Antitrust: Commission opens formal investigation into distribution practices of clothing company Guess* The European Commission has opened a formal antitrust investigation into the distribution agreements and practices of clothing manufacturer and retailer Guess. The Commission will examine (...)

Antitrust: Commission opens investigation into gas export restrictions from Romania* The European Commission has opened a formal investigation to assess whether Romania’s gas transmission system operator Transgaz has been hindering gas exports from Romania to other EU Member States. The (...)

MERGERS: COMMISSION APPROVES VIVENDI’S ACQUISITION OF TELECOM ITALIA, SUBJECT TO CONDITIONS* The European Commission has approved the acquisition of de facto control over Telecom Italia by Vivendi. The decision is conditional on the divestment of Telecom Italia’s stake in Persidera. Telecom (...)

Mergers: Commission alleges Altice breached EU rules by early implementation of PT Portugal acquisition* The European Commission has sent a Statement of Objections alleging that multinational telecommunications company Altice (the Netherlands), breached the EU Merger Regulation by implementing (...)

Mergers: Commission fines Facebook €110 million for providing misleading information about WhatsApp takeover* The European Commission has fined Facebook €110 million for providing incorrect or misleading information during the Commission’s 2014 investigation under the EU Merger Regulation of (...)

MERGERS: COMMISSION APPROVES MERGER BETWEEN CHEMICAL PRODUCERS REICHHOLD AND POLYNT, SUBJECT TO CONDITIONS* The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the merger between chemical producers Reichhold (US) and Polynt (Italy). Both produce unsaturated polyester resins, (...)

Antitrust: Commission opens formal investigation into Aspen Pharma’s pricing practices for cancer medicines* The European Commission has opened a formal investigation into concerns that Aspen Pharma has engaged in excessive pricing concerning five life-saving cancer medicines. The Commission (...)

MERGERS: COMMISSION CLEARS ACQUISITION OF BROCADE BY BROADCOM, SUBJECT TO CONDITIONS* The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of networking products supplier Brocade (US) by semiconductor manufacturer Broadcom (US/Singapore), subject to (...)