Tag

competitionlaw

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Consultation on Amendments to Malta’s Merger Rules Antitrust, Competition and Trade

Consultation on Amendments to Malta’s Merger Rules

On 15 January 2026, the Office for Competition within the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority published a consultation document, together with proposed amendments, recommending changes to the Control of Concentrations Regulations. The changes, if implemented, would considerably change the merger control process in Malta. The main proposals are outlined below: Change in the thresholds: At present, concentrations are notifiable if the aggregate turnover of the parties in Malta exceeds EUR 2.3 million and each of the parties have a turnover in Malta of at least 10% of the aggregate turnover. The proposal envisages the increase of the trigger turnover…
Annalies Muscat
19th January 2026
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The European Commission Initiates a Public Consultation on the EU Merger Guidelines Antitrust, Competition and Trade

The European Commission Initiates a Public Consultation on the EU Merger Guidelines

The European Commission (the ‘Commission’) has launched a public consultation on the  8th May 2025 to gather feedback on its ongoing review of the EU merger guidelines, with the aim of updating the framework for assessing the competitive impact of mergers. This review seeks to reflect changes in the economy, by giving adequate weight to innovation, efficiency, sustainability, and other less major transformational needs amongst others. Feedback to the Commission may be submitted by 3rd September, 2025. The consultation covers both the horizontal merger guidelines (which were published in 2004), applicable to mergers between competitors, and the non-horizontal merger guidelines…
Josefa Muscat and Annalies Muscat
16th May 2025
Person wearing silver link bracelet round analog watch
EU Commission Publishes Findings on EU Competition Enforcement Framework Antitrust, Competition and Trade

EU Commission Publishes Findings on EU Competition Enforcement Framework

On 5 September 2024, the European Commission published a “Staff Working Document”  summarising the findings of the evaluation of two EU Regulations, Regulation 1/2003 and Regulation 773/2004, which concern the enforcement of EU competition law. These Regulations, which entered into force 20 years ago, lay out the procedural framework for the implementation of EU competition rules laid down in Articles 101 and Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (“TFEU”). The evaluation exercise by the Commission has concluded that, in general, these Regulations have achieved their objective for effective, efficient and uniform application of EU competition law.  It has also noted that…
Mamo TCV Advocates
18th September 2024
European Parliament, Strasbourg
Draft Guidelines on Abusive Exclusionary Conduct Antitrust, Competition and Trade

Draft Guidelines on Abusive Exclusionary Conduct

In August 2024 the European Commission published draft guidelines on the application of Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (“TFEU”) to abusive exclusionary conduct by dominant undertakings. Rather than the current guidance on enforcement priorities, this document has taken the shape of guidelines proper, similar to those found in respect of Article 101 TFEU. The intention is therefore that undertakings, legal counsel and competition authorities follow the doctrine laid out in the eventual guidelines when applying Article 102 TFEU to conduct by dominant undertakings that may be exclusionary in nature. Although the draft cites…
Annalies Muscat
12th September 2024
Group of People at Conference
Mamo TCV Advocates to Attend “Dawn Raids in Practice” in Malta Antitrust, Competition and TradeNews

Mamo TCV Advocates to Attend “Dawn Raids in Practice” in Malta

Dr Annalies Muscat and Dr Laura Spiteri, both senior associates within the Antitrust, Competition and Trade department at Mamo TCV Advocates, will be attending the ERA conference “Dawn Raids in Practice” being held in Valletta, Malta between 26 and 27 September 2024. Get in touch with Annalies or Laura to connect or schedule a meeting.
Mamo TCV Advocates
10th September 2024
Google Shopping: The Saga Continues Antitrust, Competition and Trade

Google Shopping: The Saga Continues

Following an antitrust investigation, in 2017 the European Commission had fined Google LLC and Alphabet Inc. a record €2.4 billion for abuse of Google’s dominant position. In brief, it found that Google was self-preferencing, by presenting results from its own Google Shopping first upon a so called “Google search”. On appeal to the General Court, the fine was confirmed in 2021. The General Court only accepted part of Google and Alphabet’s argument, namely that there was no negative anti-competitive effect on the market for general search services. Google and Alphabet further appealed the General Court’s judgment to the Court of…
Annalies Muscat
12th January 2024