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5 CLPD 4 (2019-2020)

handle is hein.journals/clpd5 and id is 1 raw text is: 
























Summary
This is an overview of the main developments in EU
merger control in 2018. We begin by highlighting
what we view as the main developments  and then
discuss these and some other developments in
greater detail.

Judgment   and EC Decision on Gun-Jumping'
In practice, the most important development in EU
merger control in 2018 was the Court of)ustice of
the EU's (C) EU's) preliminary reference judgment
in Ernst& Young P/S v Konkurrencerddet. Since its
enactment, Article 7(1) of the EU Merger Regulation
(EUMR) has prohibited companies from
implementing  notifiable transactions before the
EC has approved their transaction. However, this
judgment  is the first definitive explanation of this
standstill obligation. In holdingthatthe standstill
obligation is only infringed when a company either
acquires control of a target company or takes a
measure  that contributes to acquiring control over
a target, the C EU has provided valuable guidance
to companies that want to engage in integration
planning.

In addition, in April, the European Commission
(EC) imposed a E124.5 million fine on Altice for

   With many thanks to John Ratliff for his insights and comments
  and Jessy Siemons and Katrin Guina for their help in the produc-
  tion of this paper. The views expressed are personal and do not
  necessarily reflect those of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr


acquiring control over PT Portugal before the
EC had cleared this transaction. Thedecision
recognises that, during the period between signing
of a share purchase agreement and closing of a
transaction, acquirers are entitled to intervene
in a target company to protect the target's value.
The agreement  between Altice and PT Portugal's
parent company, however, contained wide ranging
rights allowing Altice to exercise decisive influence
over the target before closing. Furthermore, the
EC's decision instances clear examples of Altice
having in fact exercised influence over the target's
commercial  decisions during this time. Altice had
also received competitively sensitive information
relating to the target.

Phase  II EC Decisions2
The EC adopted ten Phase II decisions in 2018.

Four of these were unconditional clearances. In
Luxottica/Essilor, the EC focused on whether a
merger  between the leading suppliers of eyewear
(frames) and ophthalmic lenses would produce
anti-competitive conglomerate effects. The EC
concluded that it would not, largely because the
parties' market shares on their respective markets
were too low to enable them to bundle products


e See Section B below.


See Section A below

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