No Let-Up In Merger Control Focus As Global Antitrust Authorities Continue To Frustrate M&A Deals In 2021
By: Dominic Long, Elaine Johnston & Peter McDonald (Allen & Overy)
Allen & Overy’s latest Global Trends in Merger Control Enforcement report reveals that antitrust authorities around the world continued to frustrate M&A deals during 2021, with 30 transactions either abandoned or prohibited.
The report, released today, analyses data on merger control activity in 2021 from 26 jurisdictions globally.
The tally of 30 frustrated deals is in line with the figure for 2020, which is perhaps surprising given the worldwide boom in M&A activity and record numbers of merger filings being seen in a number of jurisdictions. But as the report argues, the reason is likely to be timing. M&A transactions usually undergo lengthy merger control scrutiny, leading to a data time lag on any prohibited or abandoned deals. The report suggests we watch this space for a rise in frustrated deals in 2022.
At a jurisdictional level, despite a dip from a total of nine in 2020 to six in 2021, the UK was second only to the U.S. in terms of the total number of frustrated transactions. Although the report notes that the fall in numbers does not signal a less interventionist approach by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). In fact, late in the year, the authority announced adverse provisional findings in two phase 2 cases. One has now been cleared subject to a large divestment package. The final decision in the other is due in the coming months…
Featured News
Google and South Carolina Clash Over State Records Demand
May 8, 2024 by
CPI
Telefonica Germany Teams Up with Amazon Web Services to Migrate 5G Customers
May 8, 2024 by
CPI
Federal Judge Grants $7.4 Million Settlement in Pork Price-Fixing Case
May 8, 2024 by
CPI
Wilson Sonsini Bolsters Antitrust and Competition Practice with Key Partner Returns
May 8, 2024 by
CPI
EU to Scrutinize Telecom Italia’s Network Sale to KKR
May 8, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Economics of Criminal Antitrust
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Navigating Economic Expert Work in Criminal Antitrust Litigation
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
The Increased Importance of Economics in Cartel Cases
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
A Law and Economics Analysis of the Antitrust Treatment of Physician Collective Price Agreements
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Information Exchange In Criminal Antitrust Cases: How Economic Testimony Can Tip The Scales
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI