Competition Weekly e-news

The European Commission has adopted interim measures to restore and maintain the conditions of effective competition following Illumina's early acquisition of GRAIL, which is in breach of the standstill obligation under the EU Merger Regulation.

The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed acquisition of Arm by NVIDIA under the EU Merger Regulation. The Commission is concerned that the merged entity would have the ability and incentive to restrict access by NVIDIA's rivals to Arm's technology and that the proposed transaction could lead to higher prices, less choice and reduced innovation in the semiconductor industry.

The European Commission has found Polish plans to invest into electric charging and hydrogen-refuelling infrastructure for zero and low emission vehicles to be in line with EU State aid rules. The measure will contribute to reducing CO₂ and other pollutant emissions without unduly distorting competition in the Single Market, in line with the Commission's Green Deal objectives.

The European Commission is conducting unannounced inspections at the premises of a pharmaceutical company active in animal health in Belgium.

In joined cases Eco Fox, Alpha Trading & Novaol (C-915/19, C-916/19 & C-917/19), the Court of Justice issued a preliminary ruling concerning the modification of a fiscal aid scheme for biodiesel which had been authorised by the European Commission. The Court concluded that the modification of the criteria for allocating the biodiesel quotas must not be regarded as new aid, as it did not affect the fundamental elements of the approved scheme, as assessed by the Commission in its evaluation of the compatibility of the previous versions of that scheme with the internal market.

Executive Vice-President Vestager’s speech,
2021 Competition Law conference organised by the Association of Finnish Lawyers,
29 October 2021.
[...] "Our current review of our competition rules is unprecedented in its scope and ambition. [...] By simultaneously reviewing all our competition instruments, we can make sure they are fit for purpose. " [...]

DG Competition will hold a conference for Young Experts on 10 february 2022. “Taking Competition Policy into the Future” will give a platform to the competition experts and scholars of tomorrow.