Lower Turnover Thresholds For Finnish Merger Control Applicable As 1.1.2023

The government proposal (HE 172/2022 vp) concerning amendments to the Competition Act has been approved and ratified. Following the amendments, the threshold for notifying a transaction to the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority ("FCCA") will be lowered.

Also the change in the European Commission's referral policy, which was confirmed by the General Court this summer, must also be taken into consideration in merger control assessments. According to the Commission's new approach, the Commission can also examine transactions that do not exceed the turnover thresholds of the referring Member State.

LOWER TURNOVER THRESHOLDS FOR MERGER CONTROL

Following the legislation amendment, from the beginning of 2023 all transactions must be notified to the FCCA where: