Supermarket mergers and the question of incremental consolidation

Earlier this week, the German Federal Cartel Office cleared Edeka's acquisition of 178 Tegut supermarket stores subject to divestiture commitments (see also our earlier post). The decision might not be a landmark merger control case but the discussion that followed offers an interesting opportunity to revisit a question that competition regulators increasingly face: How should … Continue reading Supermarket mergers and the question of incremental consolidation →

When Cooperation Comes with Conditions: Lessons from the TCA’s Decision Concerning the Gherkin Hybrid Seed Sector

Mustafa AYNA, Selim TURAN, Yavuz YILDIZ, Ceren ÖZER, ACTECON Leniency is not a “file-and-forget” exercise. For companies considering whether to approach the Turkish Competition Authority (TCA or the Authority), the real test starts after the leniency application is filed. The TCA’s decision (the Decision) concerning the hybrid fruit and vegetable seed sector makes that point … Continue reading When Cooperation Comes with Conditions: Lessons from the TCA’s Decision Concerning the Gherkin Hybrid Seed Sector →

Regulatory Cooperation: One Practice, Several Regulators

Last week, the German Federal Cartel Office (FCO) declared commitments offered by Apple regarding its Apple Tracking Transparency Framework (ATTF) binding, thereby concluding proceedings which were initiated in 2022. At first sight, this may look like another Big Tech case. But the case is also interesting for another reason: The same practice by Apple has … Continue reading Regulatory Cooperation: One Practice, Several Regulators →

Jumping the gun: How to avoid multi-million pitfalls in M&A

In their eagerness to close a transaction and capture deal synergies, merging parties would often like to start acting a combined company as soon as possible. Many today know that doing so prior to the necessary regulatory clearances and closing carries a significant risk. This post recaptures the main risk areas and lays out a … Continue reading Jumping the gun: How to avoid multi-million pitfalls in M&A →

Competition Law 2025 – the Bundeskartellamt’s annual report is here

Earlier this week, the Bundeskartellamt (FCO) published its annual report covering 2025 and early 2026. If there was a single theme running through the FCO’s 2025/26 Annual Report, it is this: Competition policy is no longer confined to traditional antitrust questions. It has become a tool for managing geopolitical shocks, digital gatekeepers, energy security, AI-driven … Continue reading Competition Law 2025 – the Bundeskartellamt’s annual report is here →

Prompts and Probes: The top 3 things companies should know about AI logs

For a long time, the standard toolkit of an antitrust regulator or claimant during a dawn raid or litigation was predictable: Search emails, download server data, and look for smoking-gun text messages or – more recently – WhatsApp chats. But as corporate employees increasingly rely on generative AI tools to draft market strategies, analyze competitors, … Continue reading Prompts and Probes: The top 3 things companies should know about AI logs →

News on HR and antitrust: Room to justify no-poach agreements?

In April 2020, as the world retreated behind webcams, Portuguese football club presidents hopped on a series of video calls. Their goal? Stability. Their method? A collective agreement to freeze the labour market. The result: A hefty fine from the local antitrust regulator and a legal odyssey. The European Court of Justice now handed down … Continue reading News on HR and antitrust: Room to justify no-poach agreements? →

Chocolate, borders, and the Single Market: Why the Commission’s new raids matter

The European Commission’s announcement about dawn raids in the chocolate confectionery sector on Monday (!!) this week may appear, at first glance, like a normal enforcement move. But there might be more. Once again, it seems as if Brussels is signalling that restrictions on cross‑border trade inside the EU remain politically toxic and legally unforgivable … Continue reading Chocolate, borders, and the Single Market: Why the Commission’s new raids matter →

Reflections on the current antitrust debate: Is the community losing the forest for the trees?

The German Federal Cartel Office hosted the “International Conference on Competition” last week. But this is not a conference report. Instead, it is a reflection on the overarching theme(s) I sensed across speeches, panels and those discussions over coffee and dinner. The antitrust community seems to be pulling in opposite directions. While most appear to … Continue reading Reflections on the current antitrust debate: Is the community losing the forest for the trees? →

The Slovak Study on Competition in the Labour Market: Changes in Much More Than Competition Policy?

By Tomáš Varšo, Aneta Králová and Robert Neruda, HAVEL & PARTNERS The Slovak Competition Authority (Protimonopolný úrad SR) has recently published an economic report that might break new ground in its policy. The watchdog conducted a comprehensive analysis that examines the competitive environment of the Slovak labour market. The study builds upon the increased interest … Continue reading The Slovak Study on Competition in the Labour Market: Changes in Much More Than Competition Policy? →