A blog about competition law and policy
Traditionally, the UK has had a two-stage decision making process for merger cases. First, there were two separate organisations, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and the Competition Commission (CC). The OFT would carry out the first phase review of a merger (“Phase 1”) and, if there were reasonable prospects that the merger would result … Continue reading All change for the UK merger regime – Except the standard of review?
2026 is set to be another important year for claimants and class representatives seeking redress for competition law infringements in the UK. While questions about legal thresholds for the proper functioning of the regime have not fallen away entirely – particularly following the Supreme Court’s judgment in Evans – they are no longer the key … Continue reading From Blueprints to Outcomes: UK Competition Litigation Trends to Watch in 2026
The ADNOC / Covestro commitments suggest that the European Commission is willing to apply the Foreign Subsidies Regulation creatively to design remedies that 'balance out' rather than eliminate the negative effects of a distortive foreign subsidy where doing so will secure investment and advance the EU's wider policy objectives.
The CMA's consultation on its revised merger remedies guidance, published on 16 October 2025, confirms a more flexible approach to remedies including in Phase 1 - a trend already seen in recent CMA decisions.
Do the fundamental rights to the protection of private life (Article 7 of the Charter[1]) and of personal data (Article 8 of the Charter[2]) preclude competition authorities from seizing professional emails during inspections without prior judicial authorisation? This is the question addressed by Advocate General (“AG”) Medina in her Opinions of 20 June 2024[3] (“First … Continue reading Balancing Fundamental Rights and Antitrust Enforcement: AG Medina’s Opinions on Email Seizures in IMI/Synlabhealth II
On 15 October, the General Court (“GC”) rejected Red Bull’s appeal against the European Commission (“EC”) dawn raid decision, in a case triggered by an informal complaint from Red Bull’s competitor, Monster Energy. In summary, the GC found that: The decision was sufficiently reasoned, and in particular contained a clear description of the alleged infringement … Continue reading Bulls vs Monsters: The General Court rejects Red Bull’s appeal against the Commission’s dawn raid decision
This month, the Belgian Competition Authority (BCA) published guidance on information exchange between pharmaceutical companies in the context of the reimbursement application procedure for combination therapies. This follows a prioritisation statement adopted by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in 2023 on the same issue and long-standing demands from the Belgian pharmaceutical industry.[1] In … Continue reading Combination Therapies in Pharma – Removing the Antitrust Roadblock
By Dr Beverley Williamson From time to time, the Thicket blog invites guest bloggers to write about a topic that is close to their heart. Geradin Partners is pleased to give the floor to friend of the blog Dr Bev Williamson who is an expert in the application of competition law in the sports industry. … Continue reading Private Equity and Common Ownership in Professional Rugby: Applying the Delivery Hero Standard
Introduction Private damages actions are now firmly established as a key tool of EU competition law enforcement. As regularly asserted by the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU” or the “Court”), damages actions are not only about compensating victims of antitrust infringements, but also about deterring anticompetitive conduct to preserve effective competition in … Continue reading Nissan Iberia (C-21/24): The Clock for Damages Actions Only Starts Ticking Once the National Competition Authority’s Decision is Final
For claimants in competition cases, timing can be everything. Access to a key supplier, data feed, or distribution channel can make or break a business—especially for smaller players going up against incumbents. In the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), two mechanisms are particularly relevant when urgent intervention is needed: interim injunctions and the Fast-Track Procedure (FTP). … Continue reading Fast but fair? interim injunctions and the fast-track procedure in the Competition Appeal Tribunal