Brussels still dim on football Super League despite UEFA court loss
The breakaway league โwas a bad idea from the start,โ Culture and Sport Commissioner Glenn Micallef tells POLITICO.
EU competition
A patent licensing gamble that threatens Europeโs innovation futureย
A European Commission decision allowing rival car companies to form entities to negotiate patent licenses unravels decades of policy, destabilizing a delicate market balance that enables Europeโs technology ecosystem to thrive.
Protesters outside Berlaymont urge EU to break-up Google
NGOs call on the Commission to force Google to sell parts of its advertising technology business after it was fined โฌ2.95 billion for violating EU competition rules
Trump shouldnโt blame the EU for respecting Americaโs legacy
The U.S. president’s view that the bloc’s competition policy is driven by discriminatory motivations against American companies is simply unfounded.
Limping through the Trump era: Can Europe lead again?
From a picturesque mountain resort in Austria, at the European Forum Alpbach, host Sarah Wheaton unpacks fresh threats by the U.S. to hit countries with tariffs over their digital rules โ drawing instant reactions from the European Commissionโs Sabine Weyand and Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz. She then sits down with former Spanish Foreign Minister โ [โฆ]
Europe must rally the anti-authoritarian alliance
The bloc needs to regain its lucidity, self-confidence and, above all, dignity.
Brussels goes head-to-head with Rome over Italian bank mergers
The European Commission cries foul over Italy’s use of national security rules to effectively block UniCredit’s bid for BPM.
Indra moves to dominate Spainโs defence sector, but raises conflict-of-interest concerns
Critics warn the deal could distort market competition and breach Spanish and EU competition law.
Canada drops digital tax that angered Trump to resume US trade talks
The move comes as Washington pressures multiple trade partners โ including the EU โ to ease digital rules targeting American tech firms.
Germanyโs energy plans to win EU endorsement as Commission unveils new subsidy rules
EU competition chief Teresa Ribera is due to announce a policy reversal on Wednesday.
EU antitrust fines food delivery giants in landmark cartel case
The investigation marks the first-ever EU antitrust case involving a minority shareholding, as well as the first enforcement of EU competition rules concerning labour markets.
EU roughly on track to hit 2030 emissions goal, Brussels says
The updated analysis reflects progress, but relies on countries following through on promises amid a green backlash.
Germanyโs power subsidy plans are probably illegal. Thatโs unlikely to matter.
The EU is increasingly bending its own rules, giving Germany space to negotiate despite fears that Berlin is disadvantaging others.
France could now prove the weak link in the Franco-German engine
The relationship between the two countries may be more difficult to rebuild than the warm words between Merz and Macron suggest.
EU competition chief on digital regulation: ‘We’re not here to make enemies’
The European Commission imposed fines on digital giantsย Apple and Meta last week, and concluded two cases against them under its digital regulations.
Why Europe isnโt getting too excited by Trumpโs criticism of Putinโs bombs
Also in this newsletter: EU competition chief zeroes in on reforming merger rules
Time was right for US big tech penalties, EU competition chief says
The European Commission has been accused of dragging its feet to avoid inflaming Donald Trump’s trade war.
Meta labels EU digital fines a โtariffโ on American firms
โThe European Commission is attempting to handicap successful American businesses,” blasts top US lobbyist.
Trump tariffs: What just happened โ and whatโs Europeโs gameplan?
It was a week when penguins, bonds, the new German coalition, Louisiana soybeans, fossil fuels, the EU’s Digital Markets Act, France’s creaking politics and American bourbon all became one news story. POLITICO explains what got us all yippy.
How Kyivโs effort to lure Trump with rare earths backfired
Ukraine potentially has large deposits of crucial minerals, but it will take peace and billions of dollars to unlock them.
German competition authority deems Appleโs tracking consent treatment illegal
Apple’s App Tracking Transparency Framework may breach German and EU competition rules according to the German authority.
Industry calls on EU competition chief to wrap up investigations
Industry calls on EU competition chief to wrap up investigations
Teresa Ribera to lead commissionersโ meeting in von der Leyenโs absence
The European Commission president has been recovering from pneumonia in Germany and has canceled all external engagements.
Von der Leyenโs mission: Stop Europeโs โslow agonyโ of decline
The European Commission president has pledged to boost the EUโs ability to compete with the U.S. and China.
The Councilโs position on proposed EU law on migrant smuggling: cynical political theatre?
Professor Steve Peers, Royal Holloway University of
London
Photo credit: Ggia,
via Wikimedia Commons
Introduction
Member Statesโ ministers (the EU
Council) are likely to agree a negotiating position this week on replacement of
existing EU law …
Standards at stake: the EUโs plan to balance SEP licensing and innovation
The EUโs Standard-Essential Patent (SEP) proposal aims to streamline licensing but critics warn it could stifle innovation, weaken R&D incentives, and complicate involvement for SMEs.
New rules to build corporate giants wonโt reverse EU decline, officials say
Europe’s competition enforcers are alarmed by talk of changing merger rules to allow big firms in key industries.
EU and UK agree on cooperation in antitrust investigations
The agreement is the first that would allow national competition authorities from EU countries to cooperate directly with a competition authority outside the bloc.
How the European cement industry can become competitive and clean [Promoted content]
Europe trails other regions on cement decarbonisationโincluding the US, Latin America, and Canadaโbecause of outdated industry standards that are not are not technology neutral. This blocks innovative low-carbon technologies from the market and prevent…
Margrethe Vestager says she has โno plansโ to run for office in Denmark
New biography looks at the longtime EU competition czar.
How a law on truck movements divided the EU
The EU’s top court delivers a ruling on an exceptionally fierce legal fight this week.
Europe must not tie its hands in the fight against corporate power
Market concentration is a political problem as well as an economic one โ EU competition policy should reflect that
EU competition chief warns against weakening rules to create champions
Margrethe Vestagerโs comments come as successor told to be โmore supportiveโ of companies
How the EUโs landmark Apple tax ruling gave Ireland โฌ13bn it didnโt want
After losing a court case, Ireland stands to gain a huge amount of money it fought not to gain and is unsure how to spendWhen the EUโs top court gave its landmark ruling this week on a โsweetheartโ tax arrangement with the worldโs biggest company, the …
โฌ13B legal win over Apple made me cry, says shocked EU competition chief
Margrethe Vestager said sheโd been told to brace for defeat on Appleโs challenge against tax state aid finding.
Top EU court to rule in โฌ13bn Apple case that could hit โsweetheartโ tax deals
Long-running legal battle began in 2016 after blocโs competition chief said iPhone maker had benefited from unfair tax breaks in IrelandThe EUโs top court will rule whether the European Commission was right to demand that โฌ13bn (ยฃ11bn) in โillegalโ tax…
Defense firms need full access to EU cash as Putin haunts Europe, Draghi says
Looming threats must spark major rethink of European defense policy, according to draft of new report seen by POLITICO.
Closing the backdoor: The new TurkStream is here. Can the West stop it?
Martin Vladimirov is director of the Energy and Climate Program at the Center for the Study of Democracy. Announcing its plans for what could be called TurkStream 2 on Aug. 21, Turkey finally dropped all pretenses. According to the countryโs energy minister, Alparslan Bayraktar, the state-owned gas monopoly BOTAล would now be able export around [โฆ]
Beach club operators in Italy brace as EU competition rules threaten their business
Beach clubs have a significant impact on Italyโs economy, as the tourism sector accounts for around 6% of the countryโs total GDP.
Sun, sand and strikes: Italyโs beach clubs shut down to protest EU law
Beach licenses in Italy are set to be awarded through a competitive bidding process, threatening decades-old family businesses.
US, UK, and EU share views on competition in AI development
The UK, US, and EU competition authorities specified common fair competition principles on foundation artificial intelligence (AI) models like ChatGPT but did not commit to joint action, according to a joint statement on Tuesday (23 July).ย
Football bosses ask EU to intervene in FIFAโs new match schedule
Football players and leagues filed a complaint with the European Commission to try to rein in footballโs governing body.
Lufthansa wins EU approval for its Italian airline deal
BRUSSELS โ Lufthansa won European Union approval to buy a stake in Italyโs state-owned carrier ITA Airways after last-ditch concessions eased high tensions between Rome and Brussels. The German airline, already the biggest in Europe by revenue, now adds Italian routes to its network, guaranteeing the future of the loss-making Italian airline, the successor to [โฆ]
EU Competition Commissioner says Appleโs decision to pull AI from EU shows anticompetitive behavior
Apple’s decision not to launch its own artificial intelligence (AI) features in the EU is a “stunning declaration” of its anticompetitive behavior, EU Commission Vice-President Margrethe Vestager said on Thursday (27 June).
Apple found in breach of EU competition rules
European Commission finds iPhone maker broke new laws designed to protect smaller competitors against big tech platformsBusiness live โ latest updatesApple has been found to be in breach of sweeping new EU laws designed to allow smaller companies to co…
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.
EU competition chief warns against Franco-German push to loosen merger rules
European Commission Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager has warned against the idea of watering down competition rules to allow for โEuropean championsโ, an age-old idea that could gain new momentum as part of an expected โcompetitiveness dealโ…
Lufthansaโs ITA deal set to get EU approval
Clearance will diffuse tensions between Brussels and Rome over a deal that keeps Italian carrier flying.
Lufthansa ups its offer to try to win over EU on ITA deal
Italy has pushed hard for the deal to be cleared.
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.
Protecting the conditional autonomy of governing bodies in sport from review โfrom a competition standpointโ: how the Court should decide its pending cases on the transfer system, the regulation of agents and club (re-)location.
Stephen Weatherill
Jacques Delors Professor of
European Law (Emeritus), Faculty of Law and Somerville College, University of
Oxford
Photo: Lassana Diarra, by ะ ัะฑะฐะบะพะฒะฐ ะะปะตะฝะฐ, on Wikimedia Commons
In preparing this paper I have
bene…
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.
Does the EU have what it takes to fight China on green tech?
If you arenโt sure what the difference is between an anti-subsidy probe and an investigation into foreign subsidies, we’ve got you covered.
EU and US vow to team up against China, but canโt hide the cracks
Trade and tech dialogue would likely not survive a Trump return โ and that would threaten fragile transatlantic solidarity on how to deal with China.
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.
EU to fine Apple โฌ500M over music streaming: Report
The expected move would be the European Commission’s first fine against the US tech giant, the FT reports.
Top EU officials have toxic โforever chemicalsโ in their blood
Margrethe Vestager and Frans Timmermans among officials tested as EU debates potential ban.
Football Revolution: how do the Courtโs rulings of 21 December 2023 affect UEFAโs role as a โgatekeeperโ?
Steve Weatherill, Somerville
College and Faculty of Law, University of Oxford
Photo credit: Werner100359,
via Wikimedia
Commons
Summary
The Court of Justiceโs rulings of
21 December 2023 found practices associated with prior approval of new…
Footballโs UEFA and FIFA lose EU court bid to halt breakaway Super League
The organizations were ‘abusing a dominant position,’ says Court of Justice.
Adobe abandons Figma takeover after Brussels, UK opposition
EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager had come out against the deal.
Apple offers to let rivals access tap-and-go tech in EU antitrust caseย
Reuters exclusively reported that Apple (AAPL.O) has offered to let rivals access its tap-and-go mobile payments systems used for mobile [โฆ]
The post Apple offers to let rivals access tap-and-go tech in EU antitrust caseย appeared first on Reuters News Agency.
Nadia Calviรฑo named EIB chief
The Spanish finance minister won the race against EU competition czar Margrethe Vestager.
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.
Football Super League court ruling set for December
UEFA faces challenge to its role governing the sport in Europe.
Back to the โfrituurโ: A guide to Brusselsโ โfritesโ
Armed only with a healthy appetite and a small wooden fork, our intrepid reporter set out to answer the question: Where can you get the best fries?
EIB presidency race: Vestager open to EU financing of nuclear and defence
With the race for the presidency of the European Investment Bank (EIB) in its final stretch, Danish candidate and former EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager said she would be ready to consider EIB financing for defence and nuclear.
Vestager faces uphill battle to win French support for EIB top job
The wind in Paris is blowing in favor of Spain’s Nadia Calviรฑo, but Macron is notorious for taking last-minute decisions.
Ukraine doubles down on counteroffensive
Didier Reynders to take over as EU competition chief
Reynders to take over as EU competition chief
Reynders will step in as Vestager goes on leave to chase EIB post.
Didier Reynders takes over as EU competition chief
Belgian politician appointed while incumbent Margrethe Vestager targets top job at European Investment Bank
Microsoft to unbundle Teams to appease EU competition worries
Tech giant to also make it easier for competing apps to be interoperable in bid to stop Brusselsโ antitrust probe
Spainโs La Liga files EU complaint over Qatar funding of French club Paris St-Germain
The Spanish league alleges that Qatar’s investment has given PSG an unfair advantage.
Not another American! Meet the new favorite for EU competition economist
Florian Ederer is a newly minted U.S. citizen but also an Austrian โ and has no history of consulting for Big Tech companies.
Margrethe Vestager on failed US hire: โShit happensโ
EU competition commissioner strikes stoic tone in first comments after the Fiona Scott Morton fiasco.
French rejection of top American economist is a blow to liberal Europe
Emmanuel Macron’s effective veto of the hiring of Fiona Scott Morton shows just how much France rules the roost in Brussels.