Today, the German parliament passed the “Digital Competition Act” which is the 10th amendment to the Act against Restraints of Competition (ARC).
The amended law – which will very likely enter into force January 2021 – will bring about significant changes to the German competition law landscape. In particular, the Digital Competition Act will:
- substantially increase the relevant thresholds of the German merger control regime;
- introduce new tools for the Federal Cartel Office (FCO) targeted at digital gatekeepers;
- implement changes required by the ECN+ Directive aimed at a more effective investigation of anti-competitive behaviour; and
- bring about changes to the rules governing fines for antitrust infringements (including the regulation of the German leniency program).
This briefing focusses on the most important changes with relevance for M&A activity and the digital sector.
Read the full briefing here.
Contacts
Kyriakos Fountoukakos
Managing Partner, Competition Regulation and Trade, Brussels
Key contacts
Kyriakos Fountoukakos
Managing Partner, Competition Regulation and Trade, Brussels
Disclaimer
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