Today, the German parliament passed the “Digital Competition Act” which is the 10th amendment to the Act against Restraints of Competition (ARC).
The amended law – which will very likely enter into force January 2021 – will bring about significant changes to the German competition law landscape. In particular, the Digital Competition Act will:
- substantially increase the relevant thresholds of the German merger control regime;
- introduce new tools for the Federal Cartel Office (FCO) targeted at digital gatekeepers;
- implement changes required by the ECN+ Directive aimed at a more effective investigation of anti-competitive behaviour; and
- bring about changes to the rules governing fines for antitrust infringements (including the regulation of the German leniency program).
This briefing focusses on the most important changes with relevance for M&A activity and the digital sector.
Read the full briefing here.
Contacts
Dr Marcel Nuys
Partner, Germany and Brussels
Kyriakos Fountoukakos
Managing Partner, Competition/Antitrust, Regulation and Trade, Brussels
Peter Rowland
Of Counsel, Brussels
Dr Florian Huerkamp, MJur (Oxford)
Counsel, Germany
Key contacts
Dr Marcel Nuys
Partner, Germany and Brussels
Kyriakos Fountoukakos
Managing Partner, Competition/Antitrust, Regulation and Trade, Brussels
Peter Rowland
Of Counsel, Brussels
Dr Florian Huerkamp, MJur (Oxford)
Counsel, Germany
Disclaimer
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