European Commission

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

On 1 September, the European Commission (EC) issued its Second Annual Report under Article 5(4) of the Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) Screening Regulation along with an EC Staff Working Document (SWD). The Report covers the 2021 period and provides an overview of FDI trends and screening in (...)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Digital Services Package : Commission welcomes the adoption by the European Parliament of the EU’s new rulebook for digital services* The Commission welcomes the adoption by the European Parliament of the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act, proposed by the Commission in December 2020. (...)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

State aid : Commission opens in-depth investigation into German support measures in favour of DB Cargo* The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether certain German support measures in favour of DB Cargo are in line with EU State aid rules. DB Cargo is a 100% (...)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 (...)

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’), (...)

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

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

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

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 (...)

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 (...)

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 (...)

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 (...)

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 (...)

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 (...)

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 (...)

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 (...)

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 (...)

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 (...)

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 (...)

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 (...)

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 (...)

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 (...)

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 (...)

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 (...)

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 (...)

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 (...)

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 (...)

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. (...)

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 (...)

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 (...)

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 (...)

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 (...)

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 (...)

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 (...)

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 (...)

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 (...)

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 (...)