Draft merger guidelines: can we ensure dynamic and innovative markets flourish in Europe?
The European Commission’s draft merger guidelines are one of the most important ongoing debates in European policy. Nearly two decades have passed since the guidelines were last reviewed, and the new draft draws upon years of practice and precedent — reassessing core concerns around market power and consumer harm in today’s digitalised, networked economy, where innovation is central to sustainable growth.
In this episode of Top of the Agenda, Helen Jenkins is joined by Guillaume Loriot, Deputy Director-General for Mergers at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition, and Massimo Motta, Research Professor of Economics at ICREA, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), and the Barcelona School of Economics. Together they discuss the draft guidelines and how greater emphasis might be placed on innovation, resilience, investment incentives, industrial scale, and Europe’s global competitiveness, all alongside the core aim of merger control: protecting the long-term interests of consumers.
Related
Oxera responds to proposed changes to the UK’s competition and regulatory appeals frameworks
In July 2026, the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST), then known as the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), launched a consultation on proposed reforms aimed at streamlining the UK’s competition redress, enforcement and regulatory appeals arrangements.1 Oxera provides economic advice to clients… Read More
Podcasts
How should sustainability considerations be reflected in European Merger control?
Against the backdrop of the European Commission’s draft merger guidelines, our latest episode explores how sustainability can be given appropriate weight when assessing mergers. Helen Jenkins is joined by Simon Holmes, a Member of the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal and Visiting Professor in Law at the University of… Read More