The UK Government and the EU Commission agree on a trade and cooperation act detailing the applicability of both merger control regimes after Brexit

On 1 January 2021, with the end of the Brexit transition period, the UK entered the real world of Brexit. This has immediate implications for merger control both in the UK and the EU. Any companies involved in deals need to be aware of the impact. As of 1 January 2021 the EU Merger Regulation (EUMR) with its one-stop-shop regime, under which a transaction is either subject to the EUMR or to the UK merger control regime, but not to both, ceases to apply in the UK. The Agreement on Trade and Cooperation (TCA) agreed between the UK and the EU contains very little detail on merger control but it is clear that from now on the two regimes will apply in parallel. Businesses previously used to dealing with the European Commission (Commission) under the EUMR regime will now also need to