The Court of Justice of the EU, dismissing the appeal of Mowi, held that the General Court was correct in ruling that an acquisition of de facto sole control may be fined both for infringing the obligation of prior notification and the obligation of standstill under EU Merger Regulation, even if this de facto acquisition of sole control is conditionally linked with a subsequent public offer.
The Covid crisis has not only deeply affected our economies and disrupted markets, but also led to unprecedented state intervention. The role of competition policy at this juncture has been put into question. In particular, some commentators have called for a relaxation of competition rules, especially with respect to merger control. There also voices which increasingly argue in favour of a bigger role for government intervention in the economy; and state aid has become an important support measure for many firms and sectors to weather the crisis.
