The EU Commission adopts far-reaching proposals to control foreign subsidies

On 5 May 2021, the European Commission ("Commission") issued a proposal for a far-reaching Regulation to tackle foreign subsidies, which, if adopted, will increase the regulatory risk for companies operating or investing in the EU with backing from non-EU States. The new instrument targets foreign-subsidised transactions, but also any kind of subsidised commercial activity affecting EU markets, including bidding for public contracts. Why the new tool? The Commission has concerns that subsidies granted by non-EU governments ("foreign subsidies") are escaping its control because it believes that there is an enforcement gap in its current toolbox. The Commission considers it necessary to complement existing instruments with a new tool, which lies at the intersection of traditional