Europe archive - The Capitol Forum

SHEIN and Temu Look to Europe for Growth After End of De Minimis Exemption in U.S., Raising Concerns Among EU Policymakers

Chinese e-commerce companies Temu and SHEIN will no longer be able to rely on their low-cost direct-to-consumer model in the U.S. following the end of a trade exemption known as de minimis. As the companies look to Europe for growth, however, European policymakers are preparing to push...

Oct 06, 2025 Read Now >

EU to Propose Steep Tariffs on Excess Steel Imports to Curb Chinese Overcapacity and Re-engage with U.S.

Brussels is set to unveil a new trade instrument next week aimed at curbing tariff-free steel imports linked to global overcapacity, particularly from China. The move is also intended to lay the groundwork for negotiations with Washington over the removal of Trump’s tariffs that...

Oct 03, 2025 Read Now >

UK Merger Review in Retreat: Lawyers Declare ‘Open Season’ as They Tell Companies to Skip Notifying Deals

Deal advisors in the UK are starting to see a window of opportunity for completing more complicated global mergers without intervention from the antitrust agency, as the Competition and Markets Authority sticks to the government’s economic growth agenda. Some lawyers view the CMA’s...

Oct 02, 2025 Read Now >

Mars/Kellanova: EC Leaning Towards Clearing Deal, Sources Say

The European Commission is leaning towards clearing Mars’s $36 billion proposed acquisition of Kellanova (K) without remedies because it’s struggling to back up the concerns that motivated its in-depth review, according to sources familiar with the probe. The enforcer last week...

Oct 02, 2025 Read Now >

Anglo American/Teck Resources: Merger Set to Face ‘Canada Strong,’ ‘America First’ Agendas in Foreign Investment Reviews

London-based Anglo American (LSE: AAL) and Teck Resources’ (TECK) plan to create a $50 billion-plus copper-mining behemoth will likely encounter regulatory scrutiny driven by “Canada Strong” and “America First” agendas. In Ottawa, the main focus will be on whether the deal...

Oct 01, 2025 Read Now >

ADNOC/Covestro: Remedies Expected to be Filed as Early as Wednesday, Sources Say

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) is set to file remedies with the European Commission as early as tomorrow in a bid to clear its €14.7 billion acquisition of German chemicals company Covestro (COV: ETR), sources said. The proposed remedies will address the major concerns raised...

Sep 30, 2025 Read Now >

Linde Gas: FDA Observes Serious Problems with NOxBOXi Device that Led to Neonatal Deaths and Injuries; Company Repeatedly Failed to Identify Patterns in Malfunctions, Investigate and Address Known Issues That Could Cause Death, and Report Problems to the FDA

Linde Gas (LIN), the world’s largest industrial gas supplier, repeatedly failed to appropriately investigate and fix serious problems with its NOxBOXi device, which administers inhaled nitric oxide therapy to newborns and monitors nitrogen dioxide and oxygen levels, according to a...

Sep 30, 2025 Read Now >

ADNOC/Covestro: Acquirer Spoke With Ribera Amid Stalled EC Review, Sources say

ADNOC’s top brass spoke with EU competition chief Teresa Ribera in the past few days regarding its proposed $16 billion acquisition of German chemicals company Covestro (ETR: 1CO), sources told The Capitol Forum. The conversation came after a tentative remedy offer and public criticism...

Sep 10, 2025 Read Now >

Google Set to Get EU Adtech Fine as Early as Today, Sources Say

Google (GOOG) is expected to receive a fine as early as today from the European Commission over alleged abuses in its advertising technology business, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter. The Brussels enforcer has had a decision ready for months to fine the Big...

Sep 05, 2025 Read Now >

Metro CEO Urges EU Cap on Visa, Mastercard Interchange Fees, Seen as ‘Silent Tax’

Obscure and rising commercial card fees that Visa (V), Mastercard (M) and other major card networks set for business-to-business payments should be capped by the EU, Metro CEO Steffen Greubel said in an interview with The Capitol Forum. “It’s a money-making machine for them and a...

Aug 14, 2025 Read Now >

Veteran EU Competition Chief Dismisses Tech Fine ‘Tariff’ Claims as Political Theatre

American characterizations of EU fines on U.S. technology giants under the bloc’s digital rules as de facto taxes or tariffs are a way for the Trump administration to ramp up political pressure on the bloc, said Olivier Guersent, the former top antitrust enforcer at the European...

Aug 01, 2025 Read Now >

Omnicom/IPG: Publicis Precedent Key to EU Clearance Bid for $13.3 billion Deal

Omnicom (OMC) is preparing to cite the European Commission’s previous clearance of its proposed merger with Publicis (EPA: PUB), as well as its French rival’s market prowess in hopes of obtaining unconditional EU approval for its $13.3 billion acquisition of Interpublic Group (IPG)...

Jul 28, 2025 Read Now >

Prosus/Just Eat Takeaway.com: EC to Market Test Phase 1 Remedy Offer, Sources Say

The European Commission is seeking market feedback on Prosus’s offer to sell down its stake in food delivery platform Delivery Hero (ETR: DHER) before it decides whether to accept the remedy or send the investment firm’s €4.1 billion acquisition of Just Eat Takeaway.com (AMS: TKWY)...

Jul 28, 2025 Read Now >

Google Says Its Comments on AI’s Link to Search Are Consistent, But Some See Them as Contradictory, Confusing

What a difference two years has made in Google’s comments about artificial intelligence’s relationship to its dominant search...

Jul 28, 2025 Read Now >

Prosus/Just Eat Takeaway.com: Acquirer To Offer EC Divestiture Remedies, Sources Say

This article has been updated with a statement from Prosus. Prosus is offering to sell down its stake in food delivery platform Delivery Hero (ETR: DHER) to single digits in hopes of avoiding an in-depth European Commission investigation into its proposed acquisition of Just Eat...

Jul 18, 2025 Read Now >

Merger Monthly: After Novel Omnicom/Interpublic, HPE/Juniper Remedies, is Everything Settleable?; Outlook for Key Transactions Including Getty/Shutterstock, Mars/Kellanova, and UnitedHealth/Amedisys

In the months after Inauguration Day, the Trump administration’s merger policy appeared to be slowly but surely rounding into form: To wit, meaningful continuity from the Biden administration (retaining the 2023 Merger Guidelines and updated HSR Form), coupled with substantive pull back...

Jul 10, 2025 Read Now >

Chess Grandmaster Accuses Platform of Abusive Conduct in EC Complaint

The world’s largest online chess platform, Chess.com, is abusing its dominance through a host of anticompetitive practices, including killer acquisitions, price discrimination and exclusivity clauses, according to a complaint filed with the European Commission by former world chess...

Jul 10, 2025 Read Now >

ADNOC/Covestro: Deal Headed for In-Depth EU Subsidy Probe, Sources Say

ADNOC’s €14.7 billion planned acquisition of chemicals producer Covestro (ETR: 1CO) is likely headed for an in-depth EU foreign subsidies investigation at the end of this month because the European Commission wants the United Arab Emirates oil giant to give up its unlimited state...

Jul 07, 2025 Read Now >

Prosus/Just Eat Takeaway.com: State-of-Play Meeting Signals EU ‘Serious Doubts,’ Raising Prospects of In-Depth Probe or Remedy Offer

Prosus is set to meet European Commission officials next week for a state-of-play meeting to discuss the enforcer’s initial concerns about the investment firm’s €4.1 billion takeover of Just Eat Takeaway.com (AMS: TKWY), according to two sources familiar with the...

Jul 02, 2025 Read Now >

Brussels Readies Google Antitrust Penalty as Breakup Pressure Mounts

The European Commission has had a decision ready for months to fine Google (GOOG) over alleged abuses in its advertising technology business, three people with direct knowledge of the matter told The Capitol...

Jul 01, 2025 Read Now >

The European Antitrust Agenda: Google’s Search Redesigns Spark Criticism; Ireland’s Regulator Hires More Staff Amid Surge in Tech Complaints

Welcome to The European Antitrust Agenda, written by Europe Executive Editor Javier Espinoza and Senior Correspondents Charley Connor, Vesela Gladicheva and Lydia O’Neal. This week, Google is up for a grilling over its compliance with the EU’s digital antitrust regime and the Irish...

Jul 01, 2025 Read Now >

EU Competition Chief says Bloc ‘Won’t Compromise Sovereignty’ in Talks with U.S., Criticizes American Big Tech Crackdown

European Commission competition chief Teresa Ribera dismissed reports that the EU might water down its digital antitrust rules in trade negotiations with the U.S. and criticized America’s own effort to rein in the power of Big Tech as slower and less effective than the bloc’s regime....

Jun 30, 2025 Read Now >

Omnicom/Interpublic: EC, CMA Reviews Set to Grapple with Truncated FTC Investigation, Novel Theory of Harm, Behavioral Remedies

The FTC’s move this week to clear Omnicom’s (OMC) proposed acquisition of advertising holding company rival Interpublic (IPG) through a truncated process culminating in an unusual complaint and consent order places European competition enforcers in unfamiliar, and largely...

Jun 27, 2025 Read Now >

EU Scrutinizing Google’s AI Summaries for Potential Digital Rules Breaches

The European Commission is asking industry players about Google’s (GOOG) integration of artificial intelligence features into its search engine as the EU builds up pressure on Big Tech firms to fall in line with its digital antitrust...

Jun 25, 2025 Read Now >

Apple Offering Last-Minute Steering Revamp in Bid to Dodge More EU Fines Under Digital Rules

Apple (AAPL) is preparing to offer changes to its rules for developers in Europe as soon as Thursday to avoid additional fines over its restrictions on apps seeking to steer users to promotions outside of its App Store, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the...

Jun 25, 2025 Read Now >

Keysight/Spirent: SAMR Poised to Start Phase 3 Review as Deadline Looms

China’s antitrust authority is set to start a phase 3 review of Keysight Technologies’ (KEYS) proposed 1.16 billion pound ($1.5 billion) takeover of rival Spirent Communications (LON: SPT), sources familiar with the matter...

Jun 25, 2025 Read Now >

Mars/Kellanova: EC to Launch In-Depth Review on Wednesday, Sources Say

The European Commission will on Wednesday announce a phase 2 investigation into Mars’s proposed $36 billion acquisition of Kellanova (K), according to two sources with intimate knowledge of the...

Jun 24, 2025 Read Now >

‘Just Get on with It’: Growing Frustrations with EC’s Digital Rules Rollout

As the European Commission begins hearings on Big Tech’s compliance with the bloc’s digital antitrust rules, critics say the law is triggering unintended consequences and that the regulator has been too slow and soft when policing some of the world’s most powerful...

Jun 20, 2025 Read Now >

Under EU Pressure, Google Revamps Travel Search Page to Avoid Antitrust Fines

Google (GOOG) has proposed a new design of its search results page for travel queries in an attempt to dodge fines under the EU’s digital antitrust rules, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The Alphabet unit is also planning to...

Jun 19, 2025 Read Now >

The European Antitrust Agenda: CMA Signals Strong Enforcement Ahead of Apple, Google Digital Markets Rulings; Regulators to Eye Meta/Scale AI for Extra Scrutiny

The European Antitrust Agenda: CMA Signals Strong Enforcement Ahead of Apple, Google Digital Markets Rulings; Regulators to Eye Meta/Scale AI for Extra Scrutiny Welcome to The European Antitrust Agenda, written by Europe Executive Editor Javier Espinoza and Senior Correspondents Charley...

Jun 17, 2025 Read Now >

Draft Report: EC Says Boosting Scale of Defense Sector Crucial for Competitiveness

The European Union is seeking to boost its defense competitiveness by removing legal and bureaucratic barriers, stimulating investment, and making the sector more self-reliant, according to a draft communication obtained by The Capitol...

Jun 17, 2025 Read Now >

Qualcomm/Alphawave: Deal Could Become Flashpoint as Worries About UK’s Tech Economy Mount

Qualcomm’s (QCOM) proposed $2.4 billion acquisition of Alphawave Semi (LSE: AWE) threatens to undercut the UK plan to rebuild domestic artificial intelligence and semiconductor capacity while also exposing deep structural weaknesses in its tech economy, several international trade and...

Jun 17, 2025 Read Now >

Visa, Mastercard Probe: EU Should Enforce Fair Fee Split, Terminal Provider Says

The European Commission should force Visa (V) and Mastercard (M) to make banks, card terminal providers and retailers pay their fair share of fees to break the stronghold of the two giant credit card...

Jun 04, 2025 Read Now >

The European Antitrust Agenda: EC Appetite Grows for In-Depth Probes; EU Courts to Hear Major Big Tech Appeals

Brussels hungry for phase 2 reviews. With just one in-depth merger investigation opened so far this year, the European Commission is signaling a renewed appetite for phase 2 investigations, according to sources familiar with the commission’s thinking. “The bar is very low” to...

Jun 03, 2025 Read Now >

USTR Fees on Chinese Ships Likely to Lead to Increase in Orders for Korean, Japanese, and European Shipbuilders, Experts Say; Shipping Industry Cartel Could Raise Prices, Increase Profits

New fees on Chinese ships proposed by the United States Trade Representative (USTR) are likely to raise freight prices but are unlikely to generate significant revenue as companies will have multiple strategies available to avoid the fees, according to experts and industry members. ...

Jun 03, 2025 Read Now >

EC Sees Digital as ‘Core’ to Boost Competitiveness: Draft Report

The European Commission plans to boost its digital influence as part of a broader push to sharpen its competitiveness and compete against China and the U.S., according to a confidential draft strategy seen by The Capitol Forum. The draft, and its annex, outline a sweeping plan… The...

Jun 02, 2025 Read Now >

Letta Calls for EU Defense and Telecom Consolidation Amid Geopolitical Shifts

The European Union must accelerate consolidation in its defense and telecommunications sectors to stay globally competitive and respond to rising geopolitical and economic pressures, Enrico Letta, author of a landmark report on the EU single market and former Italian prime minister...

May 20, 2025 Read Now >

In Win for Big Tech, Trump USTR, in Change from Biden Administration, Calls Canadian and Australian Laws Compelling Big Tech to Pay for News ‘Discriminatory Non-Tariff Barriers’

The Biden Administration’s approach to trade policy included a rethink of Big Tech’s role in establishing U.S. trade policy priorities. In contrast, the Trump administration, despite continuing major antitrust litigation against Big Tech, has been vocal in its criticism of European...

May 20, 2025 Read Now >

Mars/Kellanova: EC Taking Retailer Concerns Seriously in Deal Review, Sources Say

The European Commission is taking seriously the concerns of retailers about the bargaining power of Mars following its proposed $36 billion acquisition of Kellanova (K), as the agency kicks off its phase 1 investigation of the transaction, sources close to the matter told The Capitol...

May 19, 2025 Read Now >

European Commission Tests Microsoft Teams Remedies With Rivals: Sources

The European Commission is preparing the imminent market testing of Microsoft’s (MSFT) proposed remedies aimed at leveling the playing field between its Teams app and other chat tools for users of its workplace products, according to two sources familiar with the...

May 16, 2025 Read Now >

Keysight/Spirent: Consent Negotiations Between Companies, DOJ Enter Final Stages

Keysight Technologies’ 1.16 billion pound ($1.5 billion) bid for testing and measuring equipment provider Spirent is advancing toward antitrust clearance in the U.S., sources familiar with the matter...

May 16, 2025 Read Now >

EC Preparing Charges in Glovo-Delivery Hero No-Poach Cartel Probe

The European Commission is preparing formal charges against delivery food companies Glovo and Delivery Hero (DHER: DE) for allegedly agreeing not to poach each other’s workers, according to two sources with intimate knowledge of the matter. The rest of this article is currently locked...

May 12, 2025 Read Now >

Mars/Kellanova: Companies Prepare to File in EU Amid Portfolio Effects Questions

The European Commission’s investigation of Mars’ proposed $35.9 billion takeover of Kellanova (K) is focusing on whether the deal would give the U.S. snack food acquirer increased bargaining leverage with European retailers that stock Kellanova’s brands portfolio, including...

May 06, 2025 Read Now >

EC Deepens Probe into Visa, Mastercard Over Scheme Fees Paid by Retailers

The European Commission is deepening a preliminary probe into whether Visa (V) and Mastercard’s (MA) scheme and processing fees unfairly harm competition in the card payments market. Officials are looking at how the two dominant card networks set fees paid by acquirers such as Elavon...

May 02, 2025 Read Now >

EC Revisits Dominance Safe Harbor in Abuse Guidelines Following Criticism

The European Commission is considering whether it should reinsert a safe harbour provision in its upcoming exclusionary abuse guidelines that would protect the conduct of companies under a certain market share, sources familiar with the matter told The Capitol...

Apr 28, 2025 Read Now >

Breton Decries DMA Fines on Apple, Meta as ‘Regrettable’, Says Goal is Compliance, Not Penalties

Thierry Breton, the former commissioner in charge of enforcing the EU’s landmark digital rules, said multi-million euro fines imposed on Apple (AAPL) and Meta (META) earlier this week were regrettable, emphasizing that financial penalties aren’t the aim of the bloc’s Digital Markets...

Apr 24, 2025 Read Now >

ADNOC/Covestro: EU Sets Sights on Deal in Fresh Foreign Subsidy Rules Test

The European Commission is poised to use its only in-depth foreign subsidies case as a blueprint as it weighs potential concessions from UAE oil giant ADNOC, ahead of a €14.7 billion deal filing expected as early as this...

Apr 11, 2025 Read Now >

FTC’s Ferguson, DOJ’s Slater Signal Less Aggressive Merger Approach Than Biden Predecessors, Openness to Remedies

FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson and DOJ antitrust chief Gail Slater today indicated they would take a less aggressive approach to merger enforcement than their Biden administration predecessors and be more willing to entertain remedies. “Healthy pro-competitive M&A that allows American...

Apr 02, 2025 Read Now >

EU Set to Order Apple to Open iOS or Face Billions in Fines – Sources

The European Commission is set to order Apple to open up its iOS system or risk hefty penalties as high as 10% of its global turnover, two people with direct knowledge of the cases told The Capitol...

Mar 05, 2025 Read Now >

GTCR/Surmodics: As FTC Staff Urges Suit, Company Representatives Prepare to Defend Deal in Commissioner Meetings

With FTC staff recommending a suit to block GTCR’s proposed takeover of Surmodics, representatives of the merging parties are scheduled to meet with commissioners this week to defend the $627 million deal, sources familiar with the matter...

Mar 03, 2025 Read Now >

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