A PYMNTS Company

The Trends That Will Define European Antitrust in 2026

By  |  January 19, 2026

In this piece, ProMarket invites authors Jan Broulík, Alba Ribera Martínez, Rupprecht Podszun & Konstantinos Stylianou to share their insights into the key trends that will shape European competition law in 2026. Each expert highlights a distinct area of transformation, from labor markets to artificial intelligence, procedural reform, and geopolitical pressures.

    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.

    Labor market enforcement is expected to intensify, with the European Commission reviewing merger guidelines to potentially incorporate employment concerns and pursuing cases against employer collusion. Meanwhile, regulators face critical decisions about whether to expand the Digital Markets Act to address AI’s rapid growth or rely on existing antitrust tools, with clarity expected in early 2026. Procedural reforms under Regulation 1/2003 may also revitalize competition law’s effectiveness by addressing lengthy case timelines and administrative challenges.

    The politicization of antitrust continues to accelerate, with explicit geopolitical pressures now normalized across major jurisdictions including the U.S., EU, and China. This shift marks a departure from the technocratic approach of recent decades, as governments increasingly use competition enforcement as a tool for broader political and economic objectives, while companies adapt by strategically aligning with government priorities…

     

    CONTINUE READING…