EU Antitrust Chief Says European SpaceX Challenger Will Face Full Merger Scrutiny

Teresa Ribera, the European Commission executive vice president responsible for competition policy, said regulators would continue to apply EU competition rules independently when examining the proposed venture involving Airbus SE, Thales SA and Leonardo SpA.

Von der Leyen’s support for the project “doesn’t mean we are not going to apply and to enforce our own regulation,” Ribera said in an interview with Bloomberg TV.

The comments seek to draw a distinction between the European Commission’s industrial-policy ambitions and its responsibility for enforcing competition law. Europe has been looking for ways to strengthen companies in strategically important industries while reducing fragmentation that can leave European businesses at a disadvantage against larger global competitors.

According to Bloomberg, Ribera said von der Leyen was likely citing the satellite initiative as an example in the broader discussion surrounding recently revised merger guidelines and Europe’s efforts to foster larger industrial players.

The planned combination, known as Project Bromo, would bring together satellite operations from Airbus, Thales and Leonardo. Bloomberg reported that the three companies signed a preliminary agreement last year to establish a European company capable of competing more effectively with SpaceX.

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Von der Leyen has pointed to the venture as the kind of European industrial champion that could help the region play a leading role in the future space economy, according to Bloomberg.

Read more: SpaceX Lands Multi-Year Google Cloud Deal

Her intervention has also generated political criticism. French EU lawmaker Stéphanie Yon-Courtin characterized von der Leyen’s comments as an “abuse of power,” Bloomberg reported, arguing that the endorsement came before regulators had conducted substantive legal scrutiny of the transaction.

Competition concerns extend beyond political circles. Workers and suppliers have expressed worries about the proposed consolidation, while industry rivals have raised questions about its potential impact on competition, according to Bloomberg.

The venture is expected to be headquartered in Toulouse, France, and employ roughly 25,000 people drawn from the participating companies, Bloomberg reported.

Its regulatory review could become an important test of how the EU reconciles two priorities that can come into tension: encouraging consolidation in strategically important industries such as defense and space while preserving effective competition in the European market.

For Europe, the stakes extend beyond a single transaction. The proposed alliance is part of a broader push to overcome fragmentation in the continent’s defense and space industries as European policymakers seek greater technological and strategic capacity.

Source: Bloomberg