Merger benefits need rationale not just evidence, senior EU official says
By Lewis Crofts ( September 11, 2026, 16:56 GMT | Insight) -- Companies seeking EU regulatory approval for planned mergers will need to convince the bloc's investigators that their deals yield benefits and there is a mechanism to realize them, the head of the European Commission's competition department has said. The commission is planning to issue new guidelines by end-2026 on how it views M&A activity which could invite companies to present a "theory of benefits" explaining the upside of their deal. Companies seeking EU regulatory approval for planned mergers will need to convince the bloc's investigators that their deals yield benefits and there is a mechanism to realize them, the head of the European Commission's competition department said on Friday. ...
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.