A new game to play? Current and upcoming antitrust issues in sports

We blogged about acquisitions of football clubs and the German 50+1 rule a while ago. But there are far more antitrust aspects clubs, associations and organisations should keep in mind. This post gives an overview of recent developments and outlines what it means to play fair and square in antitrust terms. Whilst cooperations between competitors, … Continue reading A new game to play? Current and upcoming antitrust issues in sports →

Facebook, Giphy, Kustomer – Regulators’ views diverging?

The UK competition regulator CMA has ordered Facebook* to divest Giphy. Earlier this year, the CMA cleared Facebook’s acquisition of Kustomer in Phase I, a deal now under heavy scrutiny by the European Commission. As much as antitrust regulators emphasize a tough stance on acquisitions by big tech, is there a risk of diverging views? … Continue reading Facebook, Giphy, Kustomer – Regulators’ views diverging? →

The German ministerial permission: Reform incoming?!

Today the new coalition of the SPD, Greens and FDP, the so-called “traffic-light coalition”, published its coalition agreement. Rumours that the ministerial permission is to be abolished have not materialised. However, the new coalition plans to improve the right of third parties to appeal a ministerial permission and to potentially even involve the German parliament … Continue reading The German ministerial permission: Reform incoming?! →

Antitrust and the Political System – Part II: EU

Part II of our series – this time focusing on the decision-making process in the EU and within the European Commission. We kicked off this series with our post on Germany and on where the Bundeskartellamt sits in the political system. This time, we will deep dive into the European antitrust hierarchy and see if … Continue reading Antitrust and the Political System – Part II: EU →

Joint purchasing – Three key points in the current clash

There currently is much debate about how joint purchasing should be assessed going forward, and whether existing purchasing alliances should face greater scrutiny. This piece highlights three key points on joint purchasing, antitrust, and the involved politics. The European Commission lays out its view of joint purchasing in its Horizontal Guidelines, published already in 2011. … Continue reading Joint purchasing – Three key points in the current clash →

Will the DMA and similar national rules be enforceable at all, and who will remain to enforce in other areas?

Only recently, we have reported on various moves by senior antitrust officials to private practice. Today, we turn to the shift of responsibilities within the authorities and the question whether the European Commission and national European antitrust authorities have the capacities to enforce their new competition tools once they are made available to them. New … Continue reading Will the DMA and similar national rules be enforceable at all, and who will remain to enforce in other areas? →

Revolving doors – under investigation, staying friends, and bad surprises

This year, a number of senior officials moved from some of Europe’s most important antitrust regulators into private practice. While these have not been the first times that high-ranking officials switched sides, several departures across Europe took place around the same time lately and regulators seem to deal with them quite differently.

Newcastle, MBS & 50+1 – How does antitrust come into play?

With Newcastle United having been acquired by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund and many commentators highlighting that something similar could not happen in Germany, we will check whether and how antitrust comes into play when it comes to the acquisition of football clubs. For many years, English football fans have been used to “grief and … Continue reading Newcastle, MBS & 50+1 – How does antitrust come into play? →

Gas price hike in Europe – the Gazprom cases

Gas prices are rising in Europe and some are requesting an antitrust investigation into Russian Gazprom. Time to look at past cases against the company and their outcomes. As temperatures are getting colder, gas prices have almost tripled in Europe since the middle of this year. About 37% of EU gas imports stem from Russia, … Continue reading Gas price hike in Europe – the Gazprom cases →

The European Chips Act – a political industry plan paralleling merger reviews

The European Commission has announced its answer to the global chip crisis: A number of measures put together in what is called the European Chips Act. We take a brief look at the Commission’s plans and how they might influence ongoing and future deal reviews in the industry. Only recently, Tobias had a look at … Continue reading The European Chips Act – a political industry plan paralleling merger reviews →