Victory over Booking spells EU warning for tech-platform deals
By Nicholas Hirst and Lewis Crofts ( September 9, 2026, 15:14 GMT | Comment) -- Dominant companies will cast a worrisome eye over their M&A plans following an EU court ruling on Wednesday that could curb any expansion that calcifies an already uncompetitive market. Booking’s failure to overturn a 2023 veto of its acquisition of Etraveli plays down the importance of how much a deal swells market share, and instead focuses on the competitive dynamics it might create.EU enforcers saw their power to act against merger deals involving dominant companies boosted on Wednesday by the bloc’s judges, who rejected a lawsuit by travel giant Booking to vindicate its attempt to buy a flight-booking business. ...
Prepare for tomorrow’s regulatory change, today
MLex identifies risk to business wherever it emerges, with specialist reporters across the globe providing exclusive news and deep-dive analysis on the proposals, probes, enforcement actions and rulings that matter to your organization and clients, now and in the longer term.
Know what others in the room don’t, with features including:
- Daily newsletters for Antitrust, M&A, Trade, Data Privacy & Security, Technology, AI and more
- Custom alerts on specific filters including geographies, industries, topics and companies to suit your practice needs
- Predictive analysis from expert journalists across North America, the UK and Europe, Latin America and Asia-Pacific
- Curated case files bringing together news, analysis and source documents in a single timeline
Experience MLex today with a 14-day free trial.