Antitrust questions are central to many boardroom decisions in today’s rapidly evolving regulatory world. Getting clearance for complex cross-border transactions isn’t easy – and the business risks are real. Global regulators are working together, using enhanced powers to investigate markets and anticompetitive behavior. In this demanding environment, ensuring your business withstands the toughest scrutiny is paramount.
Global expertise
When you work with us, you tap into the knowledge of over 60 partners and more than 300 other antitrust lawyers. Our deeply connected teams offer both global oversight and intimate knowledge of local laws and enforcement priorities. With offices across the US, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, we provide seamless support wherever you operate. We deliver a comprehensive perspective that empowers your strategic decisions across merger control, foreign direct investment, antitrust compliance, trade and subsidies, antitrust litigation and related regulations.
Staying ahead
Most importantly, we never stop learning. Whether it’s the implications of artificial intelligence, the transition to sustainability or heightened digital market regulations, we stay ahead of trends that impact your business. Whatever the challenge, we know what’s round the corner – and that means you do, too.
Our thinking
This briefing paper, by Maria Dreher-Lorjé, Florian Reiter-Werzin, Thomas Janssens, Martin McElwee and Angela Landry, discusses emerging investigation patterns in competition law enforcement in labour markets, and also addresses related issues such as competition risks in collective bargaining, non-solicitation clauses, and the implications for M&A.
Your guide to tackling the complex challenges of antitrust
The recent and upcoming changes to the heads of key antitrust agencies, and in particular the Chair of the UK Competition and Markets Authority, may signal a shift in approach to merger control.
The transitions taking place across agency leadership will maintain competition law and policy at the forefront of regulatory developments in 2025. In particular, antitrust policy will be shaped by political influences and growing pressure to consider domestic growth, security and economic resilience concerns, alongside other industrial policy goals.
On 01 December 2024, the new European Commissioner for Competition Teresa Ribera took office. She has been tasked with implementing a refreshed approach to competition policy, including tackling killer acquisitions, speeding up state aid and antitrust enforcement as well as a new approach to mergers that could help boost the EU’s competitiveness.
On October 10, 2024 the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the US Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a final rulemaking implementing the most significant update ever to the US HSR merger control filing. While these changes won’t be effective until the end of January 2025 at the earliest, understanding now how tackle new features such as expanded document requirements and new substantive narratives will position companies and dealmakers alike to hit the ground running.
Two years have elapsed since the introduction of new vertical block exemptions and guidelines in the EU and the UK. Since then, the European Commission has imposed the highest record fine on file for unlawful territorial restrictions imposed by a supplier on its resellers, in contravention of EU competition law. On the opposite side of the Atlantic, key developments in the US include increased enforcement of vertical restraints by US antitrust agencies.
Two former CFIUS Chairs discuss Treasury’s recently released draft rules and impending U.S. capital controls.
On 25 April 2024, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published a suite of reforms to the way in which it carries out Phase 2 merger investigations. Intended to streamline in-depth reviews, improve opportunities to engage with the CMA throughout the process and incentivise merging parties to put forward remedies at the earliest possible stage, the reforms came into effect immediately.
In January 2024, China implemented significant changes to its merger control thresholds – marking the first revisions in 16 years. Coupled with last year's amendments to the Anti-Monopoly Law, they represent a comprehensive revamp of China’s merger control regime.
In our first Essential Antitrust podcast of 2024, host Jenn Mellott is joined by Alastair Chapman, Ninette Dodoo and Mark Sansom to explore some of the themes highlighted in “Global antitrust in 2024: 10 key themes”, our recent report on the biggest trends in antitrust for the year ahead.
