Influential competition authorities advocate for stringent merger control enforcement

The competition authorities of Australia, Germany and the UK issued a joint statement highlighting the need for “rigorous and effective merger enforcement” in the face of high levels of concentration across various markets, an increase in merger reviews involving dynamic markets, and a fast-developing digital world impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

European Commission adopts policy change targeting below-threshold mergers

The European Commission adopted a new policy that will allow it to review acquisitions of targets with low turnover, which would normally fall outside the jurisdiction of both the Commission and national competition authorities in the EU. This will be possible when a merger, for example an acquisition of a start-up by a big tech firm, affects trade between EU member states and at least one of the member states requests a Commission review because the transaction threatens to significantly affect competition within its territory.

EU Commission approves state aid schemes for mobile network deployment in Germany

The European Commission approved under EU state aid rules a €70m German aid scheme to support the deployment of high-performance mobile networks in underserved areas in the state of Lower Saxony. The decision follows the Commission’s approval of a similar, €55m scheme for the state of Brandenburg in December 2020.