New CMA Merger Assessment Guidelines inspired by Lear’s recommendations

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has updated its Merger Assessment Guidelines to make its approach to merger assessment more in line with recent developments, especially in the digital landscape. In revising its Guidelines, the CMA paid particular attention to the role that changes in technology have been playing in shaping the way firms compete with one another. The new Guidelines are built on Lear’s recommendations on how to approach the assessment of digital mergers included in the “Ex-post Assessment of Merger Control Decisions in Digital Markets” report. These recommendations were broadly meant to address the risk of under-enforcement in digital markets. Read more

Work undertaken by Lear economists selected for the 2021 Antitrust Writing Awards

We are pleased to announce that work undertaken by Lear economists has been selected for the 2021 Antitrust Writing Awards by the George Washington University and Concurrences.

The first nomination has been received in the category of Best Soft Law writings for the Competition Advocacy and Communication Strategy that Lear prepared for the Albanian Competition Authority as part of a wider technical assistance project financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

You can vote for Lear using this link

The second nomination is in the category of Best Academic writings, for the article “Merger Policy in Digital Markets: an Ex-post Assessment” published in the Journal of Competition Law & Economics in 2020. The paper presents a retrospective evaluation of pivotal merger control decisions in the digital sector, including Facebook/Instagram and Google/Waze.

You can vote for Lear using this link

THE MODE OF COMPETITION: WHERE TO START AND WHEN YOU STOP IN MERGER ANALYSIS

The best way to begin an economic analysis is to ask a relevant question. In a merger analysis the relevant question is: will the post-merger new entity have the ability and the incentive to exert a higher market power? But which analyses are best suited to answer these questions? This note argues that the best way to make this call is to understand first how firms compete in the market, something economists refer to as the “mode of competition”. Read more

NEW PROJECT TO SUPPORT THE ARMENIAN STATE COMMISSION FOR THE PROTECTION OF ECONOMIC COMPETITION

Lear has been selected by the EBRD to provide technical assistance to the Armenian State Commission for the Protection of Economic Competition (“SCPEC RA”). The aim of the project is to support the institutional development, policy enforcement capacity, and advocacy activities of the SCPEC RA, through a comprehensive capacity building programme based on extensive trainings, advocacy support, market studies and secondary legislation drafting. Read more

HORIZONTAL MERGER ASSESSMENT IN THE SHIPBUILDING INDUSTRY

Lear was appointed by the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) to assist in the phase II review of the proposed merger between Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co., Ltd. (KSOE) and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., Ltd. (DSME), which are among the largest shipbuilders worldwide. Read more

PUBLICATION OF THE COMPETITION ADVOCACY STRATEGY FOR THE ALBANIAN COMPETITION AUTHORITY

As part of the EBRD project “Capacity Building for Albanian Competition Authority (ACA)”, Lear developed a long-term Competition Advocacy Strategy (hereinafter, the Strategy) for the ACA. Read more

PAOLO SPEAKS AT THE 16TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE GLOBAL COMPETITION LAW CENTRE

The Global Competition Law Centre of the College of Europe will organize the 16th Annual Conference, entitled: “Ex post assessment of European competition enforcement: Did agency intervention restore competition in the market?”.
The event will run online over three consecutive Fridays starting on 29 January 2021. Read more

The Italian court of Milan has rebutted the damages claim against Enel

In 2018, a telecom operator sued Enel, one of the main operators in the Italian electricity market, for the interruption of a commercial partnership entailing the provision of a bundled offer which included electricity and telecom fixed services. Read more

ICA’s decision in I811 set aside by Administrative Tribunal

The Administrative Tribunal of Lazio has upheld the appeal lodged by car manufacturers and their captive banks, setting aside the decision of the Italian Competition Authority (ICA) alleging an horizontal agreement between captive banks and regarding the purchase of motor vehicles through financing supplied by captive banks. Read more

SUPPORT STUDY FOR THE DG COMP ON THE STATE AID RULES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND ENERGY

Lear, together with DIW Berlin, E.CA Economics, Sheppard Mullin and University of East Anglia, has been appointed by the European Commission to carry out a background study on State aid in the field of environmental protection and energy. The results of the study will support the Commission in the revision of the EU Guidelines on State aid for environmental protection and energy (EEAG) as well as the respective parts of  the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER). Read more