UK CMA and EU Competition Policy Shifts and Their Impact on Mergers and Antitrust Enforcement
The UK CMA had a new interim chair, explicitly tasked with leading the CMA on its mission to support growth under the government’s Plan for Change, following a meeting where regulators were asked to tear down the barriers hindering business. In parallel, the EU’s Executive Vice-President for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, Commissioner Ribera, had been made responsible for modernizing EU competition policy to support European companies in innovating, competing, and leading worldwide. What did this mean for mergers and behavioral and regulatory enforcement? Was there a shift in focus and prioritization? How did the trans-Atlantic rhetoric impact UK and EU antitrust?