News
Ireland CCPC Annual Report 2024: Competition Law Trends and Takeaways
Has Ireland’s competition watchdog found its teeth? The CCPC’s 2024 Annual Report shows a regulator that’s faster, tougher, and bolder than ever. Merger reviews jumped 21 percent, capped by a rare prohibition of Dublin Airport Authority’s QuickPark deal. Dawn raids, cartel prosecutions, and new dominance probes underline an authority unafraid to act. Armed with fresh powers to levy administrative fines, the CCPC now stands shoulder-to-shoulder with its European peers. And from January 2025, the new FDI Screening Act brings national-security reviews into the mix. For dealmakers and boards, Ireland is now a high-alert jurisdiction demanding serious competition compliance.
Estonia Completes Transposition of the ECN+ Directive – October 2025
In July 2025, Estonia finalised the long-awaited transposition of Directive (EU) 2019/1 (the ECN+ Directive) into national law, making it one of the last EU Member States to do so. The reform introduces a new administrative enforcement regime (in Estonian:...
BBF v SLB: Competition Law and Governance on trial in British Basketball – September 2025
British basketball faces a landmark legal clash as the British Basketball Federation and Super League Basketball dispute control of the professional league. The case tests the limits of competition law on sporting regulators, compliance with public governance standards, and the sport’s ability to rebuild trust, investment, and long-term stability.
Class action lawsuit v FIFA: free movement of workers under EU competition law – September 2025
On Monday, 4 August, the Dutch foundation Justice for Players (JFP) announced plans to launch a class action lawsuit against FIFA, marking what has been described as a potentially seismic legal challenge between professional footballers and football’s governing body....
Hub & Spoke Cases – Trends and Developments – August 2025
PORTUGAL Hub & Spoke Cases - Trends and Developments Introduction A hub and spoke cartel (hereinafter referred to as “H&S”)[1] comprises a hybrid figure, blending elements of horizontal collusion and vertical restraints, with the intervention of at least...
Google implements changes to Google Merchant Center following investigation – June 2025
In the course of the past year, the Czech Office for the Protection of Competition conducted a preliminary investigation into a potential abuse of dominance by Google Czech Republic, s.r.o., as well as its affiliated entities, Google International LLC and Google...
Abuse of significant market power – big retail chains is in the focus of the Hungarian Competition Authority
Legal background The abuse of significant market power is a special area regulated by the Hungarian Trade Act. Pursuant to Section 7 of the Trade Act the Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) shall act in cases of abuse of suppliers by traders with significant market...
French Supreme Court adopts a restrictive interpretation of attorney-client privilege
Whereas the trend was to ensure legal privilege with the enactment of Law n°2021-1779 on Confidence in the judiciary, the French Supreme Court has adopted a strict interpretation of attorney-client privilege in the context of antitrust investigations leading to a...
First experiences with the Danish Act on Unfair Food Practices
The Danish Act on Unfair Food Practices ("The UTP Act") came into force on 1 July 2021, implementing the EU UTP Directive (2019/633). The aim is to regulate unfair trading practices in relations between businesses in the agricultural and food supply sector. Under the...