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Linklaters

Market and Sector Investigations

Competition authorities around the world are increasingly turning their attention to markets which are perceived as not operating in the best interests of consumers.

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Authorities are undertaking investigations of entire market sectors rather than focusing their investigations on the alleged anticompetitive behaviour of the players within those markets.

Market and sector investigations can be extremely burdensome to the companies involved and can last for several years. The outcome of the investigation can have a significant impact on the market participants.

Linklaters’ Antitrust & Foreign Investment team is at the forefront of advising clients on dealing effectively with market and sector investigations.

At the EU level, we have advised leading industry players on all the major European Commission sector inquiries to date (e-commerce, healthcare, energy, telecoms and financial services) and many key national investigations including in the energy, groceries, banking and fuel sectors. Specifically in the UK, we have advised on most of the market studies and market investigations undertaken to date.

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What we do

Foreign Investment & Merger Control
Antitrust Investigations
Public procurement
State Aid & Foreign Subsidies Regulation
Economic & Utility Regulation

Foreign Investment & Merger Control

At Linklaters, we have world-leading experience thanks to our dedicated and truly integrated global network. We are continually monitoring developments in this rapidly evolving area in order to remain ahead of the curve. We offer clients a one stop shop for handling merger control and foreign investment review filings: a single, central point of contact, as well as a consistently high level of quality.

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Merger control is critical to the success of any M&A transaction. Linklaters’ truly global team works with clients to devise their global merger control strategy. We combine commercial, legal, economic and often political considerations to maximise the chance of a successful outcome. We offer clients a one stop shop for handling merger control and foreign investment review filings: a single, central point of contact, as well as a consistently high level of quality.

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Antitrust Investigations

With our global footprint and on-the-ground experience in multiple jurisdictions our Antitrust & Foreign Investment team support clients through the broad spectrum of challenges that arise before, during and after an investigation into behavioural conduct issues.

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Public procurement

Linklaters has extensive experience of advising on the application of the EU procurement Directives and the implementing regulations adopted in various Member States. We have been involved in many important projects for both private and public sector clients (including national governments), which have required a combination of detailed technical legal expertise, innovative thinking and commercial focus.

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State Aid & Foreign Subsidies Regulation

In this evolving legal environment, companies with no previous (and often no foreseen) exposure to State aid issues are increasingly affected by the rules. Companies increasingly view State aid law as a powerful tool to challenge the legality of fiscal regimes and other State measures which favour their competitors. Our clients gain a competitive advantage from our wealth of experience in handling complex State aid cases.

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The FSR builds on elements of State aid, merger control, foreign investment, public procurement, and trade defence. Our global team is one of the world’s leading practices across the spectrum of these matters and we have the skills, experience and bandwidth required to prepare your business. We advise on the most complex and strategic matters and have an award-winning reputation for innovation and excellence.

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Economic & Utility Regulation

The team has advised on price controls, market access and liberalisation for utilities companies, as well as on the regulatory issues arising in the context of mergers and acquisitions and financing/restructuring transactions.

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Key Contacts
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