The EU Commission publishes a Communication on new challenges in competition policy, namely insisting on a progressive phase-out of the COVID-19 crisis and its efforts to deliver on the green and digital transitions

On 18 November 2021, the European Commission (hereinafter the “Commission”) published a Communication on “A competition policy fit for new challenges” (hereinafter the “Communication”). The Communication provides an illustrative consolidation of the current work streams – both at the enforcement and the regulatory level – in the Commission’s efforts to update competition policy on the path towards the green and digital transitions (the “twin transitions”), with an emphasis on the resilience of the Single Market, against the backdrop of the COVID-19 crisis. The Communication lays out the Commission’s vision on: the path forward regarding a progressive phase-out of crisis measures adopted under the State aid Temporary Framework to tackle the challenges generated by the COVID-19 pandemic,