New Competition Tool And Call-In Power For Mergers In Czechia?

The Czech Competition Authority (CCA) recently announced that it prepared a proposal to update the Czech Competition Act (the "Act"). While at present the proposal is just a set of ideas, it indicates how Czech competition enforcement may evolve in the years to come. Crucially, the CCA suggests deploying a "new competition tool" that will allow it to intervene even without proof of anticompetitive agreements or abuse of dominance. In addition, it wants to have call-in powers for under-threshold mergers.

The proposal represents a collection of ideas that may initiate a formal legislative process. Currently, the CCA has not provided further details beyond a press release. Nevertheless, the release already provides insights into the CCA's approach to enforcement for the upcoming years, clearly indicating a proactive stance. It should be recalled that the CCA has already been enforcing the act on significant market power and unfair trade practices ("UTP") and holds