Dear Members,
We are pleased to bring you the Q1 2026 edition of the ICLN newsletter. Thank you to all those who contributed. We hope you enjoy reading it.
Mishcon de Reya LLP
Abuse of Dominance
- Denigration in the pharmaceutical sector as an abuse of dominant market position by Markus Fjeldstad Reve (Simonsen Vogt Wiig (based on Markus’s master’s thesis which was awarded the Norwegian Competition Authority’s prize for best master’s thesis in competition law in 2025))
Regulatory landscape
- Overview of the Romanian Competition Council’s activity in 2025: what businesses need to know by Cristina de Jonge (bpv GRIGORESCU ŞTEFĂNICĂ)
- Luther Competition Forecast 2026 by Anne Caroline Wegner, Dr Sebastian Felix Janka, Dr Helmut Janssen, Prof. Dr Christian Burholt, Dr Alexander Ehrle, Dr Borbála Dux-Wenzel, Samira Altdorf, Benjamin Schwenker, Dr Daniela Salm, Pauline Müller, Martin Lawall, Lasse Langfeldt, Ann-Kristin Freiheit, Lara Jaeger, Dr Severin Uhsler, Alexandra Gebauer, Dr Jan-Lukas Henkst, Sabrina Aurnhammer (Luther Law Firm)
Competition Litigation
- ECJ’s preliminary ruling on Art. 8(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1215/2012 (judgement dated 13 February, 2025, C-393/23 – Heineken) – concept of ‘economic unit’ establishing international jurisdiction by Dr Borbála Dux-Wenzel, Dr Sebastian Felix Janka, Samira Altdorf, Sabrina Aurnhammer (Luther Law Firm)
Dawn raids
- Dawn raids at Red Bull: General Court clarifies preconditions for adopting an inspection decision and confirms the Commission’s wide discretion in conducting its antitrust investigations by Anne Caroline Wegner, Lara Jaeger, Alexandra Gebauer (Luther Law Firm)
- No ‘Carte blanche’ for dawn raids under EU Antitrust Law: General Court partially annuls European Commission’s inspection decision against Michelin by Prof. Dr Christian Burholt, Anne Caroline Wegner, Samira Altdorf, Dr Severin Uhsler (Luther Law Firm)
- General Court bolsters up the European Commission: Dismissal of action brought by German fragrance company for annulment of inspection decision authorising a dawn raid to be conducted on the undertaking by Dr Sebastian Felix Janka, Dr Severin Uhsler (Luther Law Firm)
Digital Markets
- The Italian Competition Authority closes its investigation against Google accepting commitments on consent mechanisms for cross-service data linking by Enzo Marasà, Irene Picciano, Giulio Novellini (Portolano Cavallo)
- Google faces relatively narrow remedies in the US for its search market conduct – but results may vary across the Atlantic by Ben Lasserson, Chanelle Cattin, Lydia Boateng, Tanay Vankayalapati, Nat Komorowska (Mishcon de Reya)
- CMA further tightens focus on Big Tech by Ben Lasserson, Chanelle Cattin, Lydia Boateng (Mishcon de Reya LLP)
Labour Markets
- Competition law in labour markets: key risks and enforcement trends by Chanelle Cattin and Sophie Hill (Mishcon de Reya LLP)
Merger Control, FDI and FSR
- Investing in Portugal: what has changed with the new transaction control rules by Armando Martins Ferreira, Margarida Calixto Kolmer, Francisco da Cunha Moreira (Abreu Advogados)
- Not every share pledge entails the transfer of a strategic asset: Italy’s highest court redefines the golden power boundaries by Enzo Marasà, Alessandro Tanno, Daniel J. Giuliano (Portolano Cavallo)
- Regulatory Guide by Jens Munk Plum, Bart Creve, Sonny Gaarslev (Kromann Reumert)
- Proposal for a Greenlandic investment screening (FDI) act by Bart Creve, Sonny Gaarslev, Louise Mrohs Helbo (Kromann Reumert)
- Feeding the future: a nibble at food and beverage consolidation in 2025 and the relevance of portfolio effects by Chanelle Cattin and Lydia Boateng (Mishcon de Reya LLP)
Ukraine, Antitrust Enforcement in Wartime
- Ukraine’s Antitrust Enforcement in Wartime: what AMCU’s 2025 results and 2026 priorities mean in practice by Oleksandr Aleksyeyenko (Nobles Law Firm)
Vertical Agreements
- Resale price maintenance after the CJEU’s Super Bock Judgment: the Polish Competition Authority’s approach in Jura Poland European Competition and Regulatory Law Review, volume 9 (2025), Issue 3 by Tomasz Feliszewski, Maciej Wojciechowski Poland
- The Polish Competition Authority accepts Dell’s commitments to modify the sales model in the IT sector European Competition and Regulatory Law Review, volume 9 (2025), Issue 1 by Tomasz Feliszewski, Aleksander Kanton Poland
- ECJ clarifies conditions for restrictions on active sales in exclusive distribution contracts under the Vertical Block Exemption Regulation by Dr Helmut Janssen, Anne Caroline Wegner, Samira Altdorf, Dr Severin Uhsler (Luther Law Firm)
