On 23 December 2022 the General Authority for Competition (GAC) announced that they were considering two amendments to the Kingdom's merger control regime.

The European Commission has opened an investigation to assess whether Amazon's use of data from independent retailers which sell on its marketplace may breach the EU competition rules

The CMA has referred Tobii's purchase of Smartbox for an in-depth phase 2 investigation after finding concerns in relation to the supply of augmentative and assistive communication solutions.

European Commission opens phase 2 investigation into proposed acquisition of Chantiers de l'Atlantique by Fincantieri

The CMA has fined AL-KO Kober Holdings Limited £15,000 for failure to comply with an information request in relation to its merger with Bankside Patterson Limited.

The COMESA Competition Regulations 2025 introduce express recognition of ancillary restraints in merger control assessment, marking a significant shift in how transaction-related restrictions are evaluated. This development raises important questions about the scope and application of the ancillary restraints doctrine within the COMESA merger control framework, particularly regarding non-compete and non-solicitation clauses.

European Commission fines Qualcomm €242 million for engaging in abusive predatory pricing for 3G baseband chipsets

The CMA has launched a market study into online platforms and the digital advertising market in the UK. This forms part of the launch of the CMA's digital markets strategy.

The CMA has issued a statement of objections to Fender, provisionally finding that the guitar company restricted online discounting by its retailers.

In a move to formalize pre-filing discussions, the Egyptian Competition Authority (ECA) issued a pre-notification discussion request form. Prior to submitting a full notification, the parties involved may initiate a pre-notification consultation with the ECA by submitting a designated form.

Over recent years the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Competition Commission (CCC) significantly increased its enforcement activities. This involved the CCC expanding its focus beyond merger control enforcement to actively...

Enforcement of the East African Community (EAC) merger control regime commenced effective November 2025. The concept of control is a key element in determining whether a transaction is subject to notification...

The COMESA Consumer and Competition Commission has introduced new guidelines addressing expedited merger review procedures, comfort letters, and advisory opinions. These procedural enhancements aim to improve predictability and efficiency in the COMESA merger control regime, offering businesses clearer pathways for notification requirements and review processes across member states.

In recent years, the landscape of competition enforcement in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has witnessed increased emphasis on inter-agency cooperation.

The East African Community (EAC)—the regional economic community made up of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda—start enforcing their merger control regime on 1 November 2025.

Licensing agreements occupy a structurally ambiguous position in merger control, sitting between asset acquisitions and ordinary commercial contracts. This client brief examines how European Commission precedent may inform the treatment of licensing agreements under the COMESA merger control regime, given the limited guidance and decisional practice from the COMESA Competition and Consumer Commission.

The ancillary restraints doctrine, originally developed by the European Commission, validates restraints objectively necessary to implement legitimate transactions with neutral or positive competitive effects. This analysis examines how Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, and Tunisia approach ancillary restraints in economic concentrations, revealing significant jurisdictional variations in regulatory frameworks and enforcement practices across the Levant and North Africa region.

The EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR, Regulation (EU) 2022/2560) is a tool adopted to address distortions in the EU internal market caused by subsidies from non-EU governments.

The ECOWAS merger control regime grants the ERCA Council discretionary authority to approve anti-competitive transactions when a clear and demonstrable public interest exists. This power, analytically distinct from competition assessment, carries significant strategic implications for parties transacting across the twelve-member West African economic community.

As cross-border business and regulatory enforcement become more intertwined, competition authorities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are stepping up efforts to regulate.