Regulatory & Criminal Enforcement Newsletter – December 2010

Algorithms and AI are rapidly reshaping how companies set prices and compete, but they are also attracting intensified antitrust scrutiny.

On 9 december 2025, the European Commission announced that it has opened a formal antitrust investigation to assess whether Google has breached EU competition rules...

The Netherlands is poised to grant its competition authority unprecedented power to scrutinize mergers that fall below traditional notification thresholds, targeting potentially harmful transactions such as roll-up strategies and killer acquisitions. While the Dutch House of Representatives has approved the bill despite criticism from the Council of State, the legislation introduces an asymmetric threshold system and raises standard notification requirements, fundamentally reshaping the country's merger con

The Dutch House of Representatives has approved legislation granting the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets unprecedented power to review and potentially block mergers and acquisitions that fall below existing turnover thresholds. This reform addresses concerns about "killer acquisitions" and strategic buy-and-build strategies that may escape traditional merger control scrutiny...

On Sept. 11, 2025, the European Commission published a draft for consultation of the revised Technology Transfer Block Exemption Regulation (TTBER)1 and updated Technology Transfer Guidelines (Guidelines).

On April 16, 2026, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) issued its preliminary ruling in the joined cases Electricity & Water Authority of the Government of Bahrain and Others (Power Cables, C-672/23)...

The Dutch House of Representatives has adopted a private member's bill introducing call-in powers for the Dutch competition authority ACM, enabling review of below-threshold transactions while simultaneously raising mandatory notification thresholds. This reform shifts Dutch merger control from a purely threshold-based system toward a discretionary, risk-based regime that could significantly impact dealmakers pursuing roll-up strategies, buy-and-build models, or acquisitions in concentrated markets.

The European Commission published a proposal for a regulation on insider dealing and market manipulation to replace the current Market Abuse Directive on 20 October 2011.

The District Court of Rotterdam overturned the fines on Pilkington and Scheuten for their participation in a double glazing cartel.

In June 2014, Transparency International published new guidance on countering small bribes, including "facilitation payments".

This month, a combined settlement was reached with one of China's biggest manufacturers of telecom equipment, Zhongxing Telecommunications Ltd. (ZTE).

A critical deadline looms for European issuers with securities traded outside the EU, as a key grandfathering clause under the CSD Regulation expires on 17 January 2027. Without timely regulatory action, third-country central securities depositories like DTC may be forced to suspend services to affected EU issuers, potentially disrupting trading in their equity and debt instruments on international markets.

In connection with investigations into possible rate fixing by banks, the European Commission has amended its proposals for regulation on insider trading and market manipulation.

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives are now critical drivers for companies – there is no getting around it.

A critical deadline looms for European issuers with securities traded outside the EU, as a key grandfathering clause under the CSD Regulation expires on 17 January 2027. Without timely regulatory action, third-country central securities depositories like DTC may be forced to suspend services to affected EU issuers, potentially disrupting trading in their equity and debt instruments on international markets.

The European Commission has published a proposal for a regulation to replace the Market Abuse Directive.

Enforcement actions by criminal and supervisory authorities are settled regularly.

The Netherlands is poised to grant its competition authority unprecedented power to scrutinize mergers that fall below traditional notification thresholds, targeting potentially harmful transactions such as roll-up strategies and killer acquisitions. While the Dutch House of Representatives has approved the bill despite criticism from the Council of State, the legislation introduces an asymmetric threshold system and raises standard notification requirements, fundamentally reshaping the country's merger con

The SEC's whistleblower programme offers potential rewards to (former) employees who come forward.