On July 15, the Federal Cabinet approved a draft bill for a further reform of competition law. It is aimed at making limited changes and simplifications. The Bundestag will consider the bill after the summer recess. We welcome some specific improvements. In other areas, however, we see a need for further refinement and missed opportunities.
At the end of April 2026, the European Commission published its draft merger guidelines. The guidelines set forth how and according to what criteria business mergers are reviewed. We have submitted written comments on this matter and, in light of increasing market concentration in Europe, are calling for stricter guidelines.
The European Commission is currently revising its merger guidelines. We are closely monitoring this process and are advocating for a strengthening of the guidelines. Only recently, we have been participating in workshops organised by the Commission.
Competition authorities have been hesitant to use structural remedies in the recent past. This background paper documents that breakups are a perfectly feasible instrument of competition policy, with a track record of effectively tackling competition concerns.
The European control of abuse of dominance provides for the prohibition of exploitative abuse by companies. Exploitative abuse occurs, for example, when companies set excessive prices or make excessive profits. However, the EU competition authority DG Competition has...
Mergers are a key element of strategies to increase market power and/or leverage it into adjacent markets. The European Commission is reviewing its Merger Guidelines which provide guidance on the Commission’s practice when assessing mergers within the legal framework...
