DealLawyers.com Blog

December 12, 2013

Procedural Reform of EU Merger Control Rules

Here’s news culled from this Wilson Sonsini memo (there are more memos on this in our “Antitrust” Practice Area):

On December 5, 2013, after a public consultation launched in March 2013, the European Commission adopted a package to simplify its review of concentrations under the EU Merger Regulation (EUMR). This initiative was undertaken by the commission to speed up the investigation of mergers at the EU level and to render their notification and review less burdensome for business.

In particular, the commission has revised the Notice on Simplified Procedure (enabling a greater percentage of mergers coming within its jurisdiction to benefit from simplified review) and the merger Implementing Regulation (detailing the information required in the context of a merger notification). In parallel, it also updated its model text for divestiture commitments. The new rules will be applicable as of January 1, 2014.