Competitive Edge: Competition & EU Law - September 2025
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Keeping you up to date on Competition & EU law developments in Europe and beyond.
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In Focus
Buyer beware: Nordic competition authorities expand merger control powers with a focus on technology, healthcare and pharmaceuticals – same goal, different rules
Competition authorities across the Nordic region are expanding their enforcement reach with new call-in powers designed to capture "killer acquisitions" and other below-threshold transactions that traditional turnover tests miss. While Denmark and Sweden have already implemented these mechanisms - with Denmark using its powers for the first time in August 2025 in two high-profile cases - Finland continues to advocate for similar tools but is not there yet. For in-house counsel managing multi-jurisdictional transactions, these divergent approaches create new complexities in deal planning, particularly in technology, healthcare, and pharmaceutical sectors where innovative start-ups and emerging competitors are prime acquisition targets. Read the full article for our analysis of how these changes may affect your transaction strategy.
Read the full story
Updates from our jurisdictions
Australia
A decision of epic proportions: Federal Court finds that app store providers contravened Australia’s competition laws
If you need more information or further guidance in this area, please contact Thomas Jones, Jonathon Ellis, Dylan McGirr or Ruby Simpson.
Belgium
No Red Card (yet): BCA Rejects Interim Measures Against Belgian Football’s Controversial Quota System
Read the full story
If you need more information or further guidance in this area, please contact Baptist Vleeshouwers or David Wouters.
Denmark
Uber/Dantaxi and OneMed/Hardam acquisitions trigger first application of Danish call-in rules – twice in two days!
If you need more information or further guidance in this area, please contact Morten Nissen, Alexander Brøchner or Pauline Holm Jørgensen.
Finland
Finland launches assessment on personal liability for cartel infringements
If you need more information or further guidance in this area, please contact Katia Duncker, Petteri Metsä-Tokila or Maria Karpathakis.
Germany
Key Takeaways from LES seminar: Licensing Negotiation Groups (LNGs) in Standard Essential Patent Licensing
If you need more information or further guidance in this area, please contact Stephan Waldheim.
Italy
Abuse of dominant position and self-preferencing: the Italian Regional Administrative Court for Latium’s ruling in the Amazon case
If you need more information or further guidance in this area, please contact Federico Marini Balestra, or Bianca Maria Gorlero.
Netherlands
Preparedness at any price? ACM warns against defence procurement shortcuts
If you need more information or further guidance in this area, please contact Janneke Kohlen or Joost van Roosmalen.
Poland
The undoing of the Dieselgate scandal in Poland
Read the full story
If you need more information or further guidance in this area, please contact Marcin Alberski or Stanislaw Szymanek.
Spain
For the first time, the CNMC directly imposes a prohibition on contracting with the public administration
If you need more information or further guidance in this area, please contact Candela Sotes.
UK
Laying new foundations: how commitments in the housebuilding sector could mark a transformation in the CMA’s approach to competition enforcement
Read the full story
If you need more information or further guidance in this area, please contact Saskia King, Tenisha Cramer or Flora McCarthy.
Podcast
Competitive Edge – The Podcast
Episode 12: Foreign Direct Investment regulations for corporate restructuring
In our latest podcast episode exploring the complexities of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) regulations for corporate restructuring, Tenisha Cramer (UK), Tialda Beetstra (Netherlands) and Tamy Tietze (Germany) discuss:
- Key FDI frameworks including the Dutch Vifo Act, the UK National Security and Investment Act and the German FDI regime
- Notification thresholds and review timelines across jurisdictions
- Why internal reorganisations can trigger FDI requirements just like external acquisitions
- Practical strategies for early assessment and compliance in multi-jurisdictional transactions
This 15-minute episode provides essential insights for in-house teams managing corporate restructuring activities.
Listen to the podcast episode
If you have any questions or need clarifications, please feel free to contact the speakers.
Events and webinars
Webinar
Key takeaways from our recent seminar in Helsinki
Dawn Raid Readiness
With competition authorities increasingly active across Europe, are you prepared for an unannounced inspection? Our Helsinki team recently hosted a practical seminar on dawn raid preparation and response, sharing real-world insights from recent EU cases and in-house perspectives. From understanding authority differences to managing legal privilege and internal communications, the session covered essential strategies every in-house lawyer should know.
Read the key takeaways from our "Inside the Raid" seminar here
ERA - Academy of European Law
Summer Course on AI, Digital and Information Technology Law in the EU
19 September | Online
This course provides a thorough introduction to European information technology law and digital law, with a focus on emerging technologies such as AI and the Internet of Things, and EU initiatives on access to data in the digital environment.
Partner Pauline Kuipers will teach a session on 19 September, dedicated to AI in the Digital Single Market, on DMA, competition law in the IT, AI and in the digital sectors.
More information here
Online event
Global Annual Sports Day Webinar
23 September | Online
Bird & Bird's International Sports Group is hosting its fifth annual Global Sports Day webinar, bringing together leading sports law experts from around the globe to deliver insights on key issues affecting the sports industry. The comprehensive program covers topics ranging from Australian sports law insights and reputation management to trans athlete eligibility, safeguarding regulation, and employment law developments.
Our competition partners Dr Saskia King and Janneke Kohlen will speak on UK/EU competition updates in the sports industry.
More information & registration here
Conference
LEAR Competition Festival 2025
23 - 25 September | Rome, Italy
The LEAR Competition Festival is a prestigious three-day international event in Rome that brings together leading competition law experts, economists, and practitioners to discuss cutting-edge antitrust issues and the crucial role of economics in competition policy.
Our London-based partner Dr Saskia King will speak on the panel Key Red Flags Before You Merge: Avoiding the Gun-Jumping Trap. Her presentation will address critical compliance challenges facing businesses today, exploring warning signs of potential gun-jumping violations and providing practical guidance for companies navigating pre-merger integration planning.
More information here
In-person event in Poland
Internal investigations
2 October | Bird & Bird office in Warsaw
On 2 October, Bird & Bird Poland, together with the Polish In-house Lawyers Association (PILA), will host a workshop devoted to internal investigations.
Bird & Bird experts Marcin Alberski (Competition), Paweł Sawicki (White Collar Crime), Wojciech Czyżewski and Jakub Kur (Forensic services) will discuss the latest trends, frequently emerging problems and challenges that organisations face when conducting internal investigations. Marcin will also provide comments on the new draft leniency guidelines shared by the Polish Competition Authority in September 2025.
The seminar, dedicated to in-house lawyers, will take place in person (in Polish) and will not be broadcast online.
Click here to register for the event
EUI - Centre for a Digital Society
Florence Competition Autumn School 2025 edition
6 - 9 October | Fiesole (Florence), Italy
The Florence Competition Autumn School is an advanced residential course focusing on recent developments in European competition policy, featuring renowned academics, practitioners, and competition agency representatives. This interdisciplinary course is designed for mid-career professionals including in-house counsels, lawyers, economists, and competition authority officials.
Our senior associate Tialda Beetstra will teach a session on Leniency and Dawn Raids, and will lead a Dawn raid simulation group exercise at the event.
More information here
Dutch Competition Law Conference
Annual Competition Congress
9 October | Amsterdam, The Netherlands
This annual conference is organised by the Stichting Ontwikkelingen Mededingingsrecht foundation in order to raise awareness of competition law and competition policy developments in the Netherlands, and to provide a forum for discussion and commentary. The event is aimed at practitioners, judges, members of supervisory authorities, civil servants and academics specialising in competition law or regulation.
Our partner Pauline Kuipers will moderate a session on novel cartels at this event.
More information here
In-person event
TechLaw Day 2025: AI-driven economy – what issues does it raise for in-house lawyers?
15 October | London
Join us at Bird & Bird's 19th annual TechLaw Day on 15 October at the Pan Pacific Hotel in London. This flagship event will feature valuable updates, insights, and discussions on key technology trends and their connection to legal developments. The day will bring together a community of legal, technology and business experts to share their insights. One of the topics explored will be sustainability challenges in powering data centres - a timely topic as competition authorities increasingly scrutinise environmental claims in the tech sector. Our competition senior associate Ariane Le Strat will speak on Green Claims with regards to Data Centres and is looking forward to meeting you there.
More information and registration
Webinar - Save the date
UK Merger Control update
13 November | 13:00 - 13:45 GMT | Online
Join our Bird & Bird Competition law experts alongside Cristina Caballero Candelario, Principal at Fingleton, for essential insights on the evolving UK merger control regime. Having recently served as Assistant Director of Mergers at the CMA, where she led numerous high-profile Phase One and Phase Two investigations and was part of the Mergers Intelligence Committee, Cristina will provide further perspectives on this critical area of law.
The focused 45-minute session will explore how political pressures and policy shifts are reshaping UK merger control, what the first year of the hybrid threshold reveals, and provide practical guidance for deal teams navigating this changing landscape.
This webinar is designed for in-house counsel and corporate lawyers managing UK M&A transactions.
Register for the free webinar here
Full agenda and speaker lineup to follow
Webinar recording
EU Manufacturing Resilience and Strategic Autonomy: from Buzzwords to Business Impact
On 16 September our Competition and Trade partner Hein Hobbelen and Regulatory & Public Affairs advisor Paolo Sasdelli presented on how EU manufacturing resilience and strategic autonomy are transforming competition and trade defence policy. Topics discussed included:
- The war on trade: what is shifting in EU Trade Defence policy?
- Trends in EU Trade Defence law
- Proposals by the European Commission to change merger reviews
- Will we see the emergence of European Champions in certain strategic sectors?
The 1-hour webinar concluded with three key takeaways for in-house counsel and a Q&A session. Watch the webinar, which will help you to understand how these policy shifts may impact your company's operations and strategic planning.
Watch the webinar recording here
Bird & Bird news
Congratulations to our partners Morten Nissen, Anne Federle, Hein Hobbelen, Janneke Kohlen, Pauline Kuipers, Peter Willis, and Scott McInnes, who have been recognised in the 2025 edition of Lexology Index (previously Who's Who Legal) for their exceptional work in Competition law.
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