The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of MBCC by Sika. The approval is conditional on the divestiture of MBCC's global chemical admixture business.

This Report contains an independent expert study on the national assessment of horizontal and non-horizontal mergers in digital and technology markets. It analyses the substantive assessment of digital and technology merger cases from selected EU Member States as well as from a former Member State, the United Kingdom, against the background of the growing concern about the market power of Big Tech. The Report identifies theories of harm repeatedly relied upon in the national decisional practice, sets out remedies adopted to address these competition concerns, and draws conclusions therefrom for merger assessment in Europe.

Protecting competition in technology markets, and innovation competition in particular, is crucial to today’s society. On December 13th, the Commission hosted a workshop on Digital Mergers which was attended by representatives of academia, the legal and business community, as well as the US Federal Trade Commission, the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets and DG Competition.
The event's recording is available on the workshop's website.

Includes comments on the following cases: LSEG/Refinitiv; Novelis/Aleris; Hyundai/Daewoo; as well as Derichebourg/Ecore.

This Policy Brief provides a structured analysis of the Commission’s practice. In a forward-looking effort, this Brief also discusses the potential impact of horizontal mergers on innovation competition and long-term entry deterrence risks, notably in the context of ecosystems-related effects. Finally, this Brief examines the application of the Commission’s remedies policy to digital and tech mergers.

The European Commission has the pleasure to invite you to the workshop on digital mergers that will take place on Tuesday 13 December 2022 in Brussels, from 13:00 to 19:00.
Full agenda and registration are available in DG COMP's website.

The European Commission has sent a Statement of Objections to Illumina and GRAIL informing them of the restorative measures it intends to adopt under the EU Merger Regulation, following the Commission's decision to prohibit the implemented acquisition of GRAIL by Illumina.
See also the EC's infographic on the Procedures in Illumina/GRAIL.

The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Lagardère by Vivendi. The Commission is concerned that the proposed acquisition may reduce competition on a number of markets across the entire book value chain in French-speaking countries of the European Economic Area and in a segment of magazine publishing in France.

The European Commission takes note of Kronospan's and Pfleiderer's decision to terminate their agreement according to which Kronospan intended to acquire sole control over Pfleiderer Polska, the Polish subsidiary of the Pfleiderer Group.

The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of LeasePlan by ALD. The approval is conditional on full compliance with commitments offered by ALD.

The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition by Booking Holdings (‘Booking') of Flugo Group Holdings AB, that operates under the trading name ‘eTraveli'. The Commission is concerned that the proposed acquisition would allow Booking to strengthen its position on the market for accommodation online travel agencies (OTAs).

The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft under the EU Merger Regulation. The Commission is concerned that the proposed acquisition may reduce competition in the markets for the distribution of console and personal computers (‘PCs') video games and for PC operating systems.

The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of NTS by SalMar. The approval is conditional on full compliance with commitments offered by SalMar.

The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Swedish Match by Philip Morris International. The approval is conditional on full compliance with commitments offered by Philip Morris International.

The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Evergreen Holding Germany GmbH and Real Alloy UK Holdco Ltd by KPS Special Situations Fund V, a fund managed by KPS Capital Partners, LP through its subsidiary Speira BidCo I GmbH. The approval is conditional on full compliance with commitments offered by KPS.

The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of DuPont's Mobility and Materials Business by Celanese. The approval is conditional on full compliance with commitments offered by Celanese.

The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed acquisition of Alumetal by Norsk Hydro under the EU Merger Regulation. The Commission is concerned that the proposed acquisition may reduce competition in the production and supply of aluminium foundry alloys and master alloys in the European Economic Area.

The present consultation is a short targeted additional public consultation, in the context of the ongoing review of EU merger control aimed at further simplifying and streamlining of EU merger control procedures, following the consultation on the draft revised Merger Implementing Regulation and Notice on Simplified Procedure that took place in May 2022.

Speech by Executive Vice-President Vestager,
International Bar Association 26th Annual Competition Conference, Florence,
9 September 2022.
[...] "But at least as regards merger control, the lesson is clear: As our recent track record has shown, a good set of rules is like a sturdy oak tree in the wind. If it is cultivated and left to grow, it can be flexible enough to bend in the wind, but also have the strong roots to keep it grounded in the storm."

The European Commission has prohibited, under the EU Merger Regulation, the implemented acquisition of GRAIL by Illumina. The merger would have stifled innovation, and reduced choice in the emerging market for blood-based early cancer detection tests. Illumina did not offer remedies sufficient to address these concerns.