This is the new MLex platform. Existing customers should continue to use the existing MLex platform until migrated.
For any queries, please contact Customer Services or your Account Manager. Dismiss

Booking and EU merger regulators spar over ‘counterfactual’

By Andrew Boyce ( July 8, 2025, 14:54 GMT | Insight) -- Booking argued in court today that EU regulators wrongly blocked its takeover of flight-booking service Etraveli based on a speculative “counterfactual” that predicted that the online travel giant would sell “zero flights” on its platform if the deal didn’t go ahead. The European Commission dismissed that pleading as “a hoax.” Much of the hearing centered on a long-running partnership between Booking and Etraveli, agreed before the merger and extended several times since, with judges questioning whether it should be examined under EU antitrust rules.EU regulators erroneously blocked Booking’s takeover of flight-booking service Etraveli based on a speculative “counterfactual” that predicted that the online travel giant would sell “zero flights” on its platform if the deal didn’t go ahead, the company told the bloc’s judges today....

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.

Start Free Trial

Already a subscriber? Click here to login