Google loses court battle over first EU antitrust fine
The Court of Justice said Googleโs practice of favoring its own shopping search results over rival services โwas discriminatory.โ
Competition/antitrust
Oasis fiasco prompts UK Ticketmaster probe
Competition and Markets Authority looks back in anger after “dynamic pricing” row.
EU court rips up Commissionโs killer acquisition tool
Judges tell merger regulators to stop scooping up anti-competitive deals outside revenue thresholds.
Hungary blows up at Spain after Russia links scuppered bid for train giant
Ganz-Mรกvag Europe threatened broad legal action against Madrid over it vetoing a deal to purchase Spanish train-maker Talgo.
Spain blocks Hungarian rail bid over possible Russia ties
Spain says the bid by the Hungarian company โ formerly a Russian subsidiary โ poses a risk to national security.
DOJ, states win Google search antitrust case
โGoogle is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly,โ Judge Mehta wrote.
After a whirlwind 5 years, Bretonโs back for more
POLITICO looks back on the French commissioner’s first stint at the Berlaymont.
Microsoft signs antitrust truce with OVHcloud
With a second cloud pact in weeks, Microsoft has definitely mitigated the threat of an EU probe โ for now.
Microsoft clinches deal to avert EU cloud probe
Software giant’s truce with cloud providers ends a two-year dispute and the threat of an antitrust probe.
Microsoft and Google AI deals get EU antitrust scrutiny, Vestager says
“We cannot just sit back and see how things pan out,” the competition commissioner said.
Apple gets EU warning over app store rules
The iPhone maker is the first company to be told it may not be complying with the EU’s Digital Markets Act.
US sets stage for antitrust probes of Nvidia, Microsoft and OpenAI
The U.S. Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission are nearing an agreement to divvy up investigations of potential anticompetitive conduct by some of the worldโs largest technology companies in the artificial intelligence industry, according to three people with knowledge of the negotiations.
Microsoft to pay off cloud industry group to end EU antitrust complaint
Possible deal involves a multimillion-dollar payout to cloud association backed by Amazon.
Oreo and Toblerone-maker gets โฌ338M EU fine for illegally breaking up EU single market
Company stopped retailers from buying popular brands for less elsewhere in EU
The frontrunners for the next European Commission
Even before the European elections, maneuvering is under way for top jobs in Brussels.
Dutch Eurovision candidate kicked out of competitionโs final
The decision follows a police investigation into a formal complaint by a female member of the production crew.ย
Ryanairโs OโLeary backs Lufthansaโs Italian deal as long as he gets concessions
Ryanair rivals Lufthansa as Europe’s biggest airline but its CEO says he can back its Italian deal to avoid ITA going bankrupt.
US hits Apple with major antitrust suit
The iPhone maker is the last of the major tech companies in recent years to face U.S. antitrust action.
Apple and Epic resolve gaming app row under EU pressure
Breton said the EU’s new digital rules were “already showing very concrete results!”
Apple gets โฌ1.8B EU antitrust fine for abusive app terms
Itโs the first time the tech giant has been fined by the European Commission.
Elon Muskโs X could face EU antitrust crackdown under new DMA rules
X, TikTok-owner Bytedance and travel website group Booking said they run digital services that could qualify them as so-called gatekeepers under the Digital Markets Act.
France shoots to kill the football Super League, once and for allย
Emmanuel Macronโs government pushes the EU to regulate the controversial competition out of existence.
Consultants showered EU antitrust enforcers with free flights and hotels
Documents released to POLITICO show EU officials’ travel bills get picked up by consultancies with a stake in competition enforcement.
A football star, caviar and a water show: Inside Saudi Arabiaโs campaign to host the 2030 Expo
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has turned the bid into a campaign to showcase the OPEC kingpin’s attempt to rebrand.
EU defers major entry exam over English-only testing
This delay comes only weeks after France sued the Commission over the primacy of English in hiring.
โฌ13B tax fight against Apple gets boost from EU top court adviser
The Court of Justice’s advocate general said a lower court should reexamine its scrapping of Apple’s back-tax order.
Every bill in the Kingโs Speech, reviewed and rated
POLITICO combs through Rishi Sunakโs legislative agenda โ as read out by King Charles III โ so you donโt have to.
EU Commission supports FIFA in row with football agents
Brussels delivers blow to agents by supporting cap on fees as dispute heads for EU’s top court.
Biosimilar matters
Why we should stop devaluing biosimilar medicines at all costs.
Football Super League court ruling set for December
UEFA faces challenge to its role governing the sport in Europe.
EU cracks down on 6 Big Tech giants
Dominant players in the bloc will have to comply with the new digital competition rulebook.
Reynders to take over as EU competition chief
Reynders will step in as Vestager goes on leave to chase EIB post.
5 things to know as the Digital Markets Act ramps up
As the Commission prepares to designate digital โgatekeepers,โ hereโs how the EUโs new Big Tech competition rulebook will shake out.
Senator Ted Cruz slams US agency for โcollusionโ with EU on Big Tech rules
The conservative Texas lawmaker criticizes FTC chief Lina Khan in a letter for “active” involvement in the bloc’s rulebooks.
UK antitrust enforcer to Microsoft: You canโt bully us
Microsoft forced to carve out cloud gaming rights from its deal to buy Activision despite pressure on the Competition and Markets Authority.
Brussels insists top competition economist post still wide open
European Commission says job ad will go up shortly.
Commission to reopen chief economist vacancy after Scott Morton withdraws
The Commission will need to either extend the current chief economist’s term or have a deputy step up in an acting capacity.
Commission rebuffs calls to retract US antitrust hire
Lawmakers called on the Commission to rethink choice of Fiona Scott Morton as chief competition economist.