Agenda Archive

Flying through the storm: aligning merger control and state support

July 2020

Many firms are facing financial difficulty as a result of COVID-19, and are receiving state support. However, we have not (yet) seen the predicted increase in merger activity. Is it preferable to provide state aid to companies in order to allow them to continue operating, or should we allow these ‘failing or flailing’ firms to be acquired by others? Which is the right tool to use, and could there be more alignment between them?

What problems can the European Commission’s New Competition Tool fix?

July 2020

On 2 June, the European Commission launched consultations on proposals for a New Competition Tool (NCT) and its Digital Services Act package. We look at the proposals for the NCT, drawing on lessons from the UK market investigations regime, and in particular the ability to use market investigations to act more quickly and effectively to remedy competition problems

Catchment if you can: a practical guide to local competition analysis

July 2020

Many markets involve local or regional competition between firms. Retailers, hospitals, airports, and even funeral directors compete for their customers locally. Empirical techniques for analysing competition in local markets have developed and become more sophisticated over time. But which techniques provide the most accurate assessment? We discuss and compare a range of practical methods that have been used in recent competition cases

RIIO-2 Draft Determinations: what next?

July 2020

On 9 July 2020, Ofgem published its Draft Determinations for the RIIO-2 price controls for the GB electricity transmission (ET), gas transmission (GT), and gas distribution (GD) sectors, and the electricity system operator (ESO).1 The price controls are due...

How will COVID-19 affect reform of the energy retail sector in Italy?

July 2020

Lockdowns related to the COVID-19 pandemic have had a significant impact on the energy sector. Italy was the first European country to be significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and is gradually moving back to normality. In a previous...

How will COVID-19 affect reform of the energy retail sector in Great Britain?

July 2020

The energy sector across Europe faced a shock as lockdowns of varying severity were established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These shocks were mainly caused by the sudden reductions in mobility and productivity caused by the mandated temporarily...

The CMA 2020 water appeals: implications for economic regulation

July 2020

Many key themes have arisen in the context of CMA 2020 water appeal. This appeal is the most significant for the England and Wales water sector since privatisation, in terms of the number of appellants, the proportion of industry...