E-002373/2022
Answer given by Executive Vice-President Vestager
on behalf of the European Commission
(8.8.2022)
Over the years, the Commission has taken several initiatives to fast-track its review of unproblematic mergers. In 2000 the Commission introduced a simplified procedure for categories of concentrations that normally do not raise competition concerns: notifying parties are required to provide less information; the Commission generally does not request information from third parties; and the review is generally significantly faster than the applicable legal deadlines.
In March 2021, the Commission finalised the evaluation of selected procedural and jurisdictional aspects of EU merger control1. The evaluation revealed that there is still some room to further streamline the enforcement of EU merger control by the Commission. On 6 May 2022, the Commission has launched the revision of the Merger Implementing Regulation and the Simplified Notice2. The current initiative inter alia aims to introduce new categories of simplified cases and further streamline the review of simplified cases. Based on the evidence gathered during the Impact Assessment phase and the comments by the interested parties on the Implementing Regulation and the Notice on Simplified Procedure, the Commission will revise further the drafts subject to consultation. The Commission aims having new rules in place in 2023.
1 See Commission Staff Working Document – Evaluation of procedural and jurisdictional aspects of EU merger control, 26 March 2021, SWD(2021)66 final.
2 See Commission Press Release: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_22_2806