A PYMNTS Company

Outgoing CMA Chief Is Anxious Over the Future Of UK Antitrust Regulation

By  |  July 31, 2022

Outgoing chief of the competition watchdog Andrea Coscelli has said he still has “anxiety” about the UK’s regulatory position.

    Get the Full Story

    Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required.

    yesSubscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today.

    By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.

    Speaking on law firm Cleary Gottlieb’s new podcast, Coscelli praised the Competition Market Authority’s (CMA) approach to merger control, but was more critical of the antitrust function, pointing to the lengthy case times.

    He said this was something the regulator was working on and the CMA was currently in the process of an ex-post assessment of merger controls.

    “It is important for agencies to be open about previous mistakes,” he said.

    Italian-born Coscelli also defended the CMA’s independence from the European Commission since Brexit, explaining that just because Big Tech firms like Meta may meet EU standards, it doesn’t necessarily mean they will automatically abide by the UK’s consumer standards.

    He explained there was substantial “fragmentation” in the space, requiring UK protection.

    Overall, he said the watchdog was in a better place now than it had been six years ago when he first took over the reins; the watchdog has since recruited a tide of tech and data science experts.

    Coscelli pointed to the block of Sainsbury’s and Asda merger back in 2019 as a case he thought the CMA had handled well.

    Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.