Big companies can’t avoid EU ‘entrenchment’ concerns with short-term benefits
By Lewis Crofts ( October 21, 2026, 08:02 GMT | Insight) -- Large companies that generate short-term gains when building out an “ecosystem” through M&A deals may still attract the wrath of EU merger enforcers, whose eye will be on longer-term harm to consumers, according to updated guidelines seen by MLex. The European Commission is concerned that companies may “entrench” their power through asset purchases, and it has warned that initial benefits from a deal may not be enough to counteract deeper worries about future erosions of competition.Large companies that generate short-term gains when building out an “ecosystem” through M&A deals may still attract the wrath of EU merger enforcers, whose eye will be on longer-term harm to consumers, according to updated guidelines seen by MLex....
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