Below-Threshold Mergers: Global Antitrust Scrutiny

Antitrust regulators throughout the world often use their authority to review transactions that fall below filing thresholds. Host Julia Zhu invites Skadden colleagues Joseph Rancour and Niels Baeten to discuss how these deals fit in the global regulatory picture. The three antitrust attorneys cover ways in which enforcement is carried out, how deal-makers know if their transactions are called in and what the future holds in this area. Joe describes the legal frameworks and enforcement activities in the U.S., Niels discusses the environment in the EU and U.K. — including implications of the European Court of Justice’s landmark ruling in Illumina/Grail — and Julia covers the view among regulators in the Asia-Pacific region. 💡 Meet Your Host 💡Name: Julia ZhuTitle: Counsel, Antitrust/CompetitionSpecialty: Julia focuses on antitrust and competition law in China, Asia, the European Union and other jurisdictions.Connect: LinkedIn💡 Featured Guests 💡Name: Joseph RancourWhat he does: Joseph represents clients in connection with antitrust aspects of mergers and acquisitions, investigations, counseling and litigation.Organization: SkaddenWords of wisdom: “HSR-reportable deals are certainly going to be the focus of attention for the agencies, but they’ve shown time and again that in cases where non-reportable deals pose significant competition issues … they have no compunction about going after those deals, investigating them and even challenging them when the facts are right.”Connect: LinkedInName: Niels Baeten  What he does: Niels covers all aspects of EU, international and Belgian competition law, including merger control, state aid and foreign subsidies, digital regulation, abuse of dominance, cartels and antitrust compliance issues.Organization: SkaddenWords of wisdom: “While the [European] Commission hasn’t yet decided which way to go to review such deals following Illumina/Grail, the issue will really be a key focus for the commission in the coming months, no doubt. So we’re very much watching this space.”Connect: LinkedInConnect with Skadden☑️ Follow us on X and LinkedIn.☑️ Subscribe to Fierce Competition on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.Fierce Competition is a podcast by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, and Affiliates. This podcast is provided for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended and should not be construed as legal advice. This podcast is considered advertising under applicable state laws.