Practice

EU Competition and Regulatory

Trusted Competition Counsel in Europe’s Most Complex Matters

Sheppard’s EU Competition and Regulatory team advise on mergers, cartels, State aid, compliance and litigation.

Leveraging robust regulatory experience and EU relationships, we provide strategic counsel to navigate complex rules, enforcement and market regulations.

Anticipating EU Enforcement and Regulatory Trends

We help clients overcome the evolving challenges of the European regulatory landscape, translating complex rules into clear, actionable strategies to protect commercial interests and support business growth.

Our services span merger control, cartels, abuse of dominance, State aid, compliance and litigation. We also advise on pricing strategies, IP licensing and regulations affecting data, digital platforms, AI and ESG.

Our team is recognized for our leading expertise in State aid, representing Member States, beneficiaries and competitors in complex matters from notifications to appeals. With former DG Comp lawyers on our team, our strong relationships with regulators enhance our ability to safeguard client interests and ensure compliance with integrity amid changing legal frameworks.

We streamline EU and UK merger review processes for clients, handling filings, negotiations with authorities and third-party submissions. Our approach aligns legal strategy with business priorities, facilitating timely transaction clearances and minimizing regulatory risk across jurisdictions.

Air France-KLM - Advised Air France-KLM and Air France on a series of complex Covid-19-related State aid issues totaling €12.4bn aid (including complex recapitalisation measures and compensation aid) and no aid measures and representing Air France-KLM and Air France in EU litigation lodged by Ryanair before the General Court of the European Union again various European Commission’s State aid approval decisions.
Casio - Represented Casio Computer Co and Casio Electronics UK in relation to CMA investigation 50565-2 (Musical instruments and equipment) cartel matters.
EDF Renouvelables - EU litigation defending the EU clearance for French State aid granted to offshore wind farms operating companies of the EDF group (successful in first instance, pending on appeal).
Eurelec - Assisting the first true pan-European retail alliance (French E. Leclerc and German Rewe) against challenges by French authorities based on French legislation contested before the European Commission for its fragmentation of the EU internal market.
EPH and LEAG - Advising German electricity and coal mining company LEAG and its Czech shareholder company EPH on the pending State aid notification of German coal exit compensation of €1.75 billion for phasing out coal-fired power plants and opencast coal mines operations already by 2038.
MEDIA BROADCAST - The European Commission approved, under the EU State aid rules, a German subsidy scheme set to compensate German broadcast transmission operators for certain costs generated by the mandatory re-allocation of frequency spectrum in Germany, to promote the roll-out of 5G networks in the coming years.
Micula - EU litigation saga against a European Commission’s decision prohibiting Romania from paying our client Micula €178 million in damages (+interest) that were awarded by an ICSID arbitral tribunal under the 1965Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes between States and Nationals of Other States.
Multiple multijurisdictional merger control cases and FDI control outside the U.S. in various sectors.
ÖBB AG (Austrian Railways) - Ongoing EU cartel investigation on alleged restriction of sales of second hand rolling stock to a smaller competitor.
Tempus Energy - Litigation challenging the first Commission decision approving a Member State electricity capacity mechanism in the UK.

EU Competition and Regulatory

Anticipating EU Enforcement and Regulatory Trends

We help clients overcome the evolving challenges of the European regulatory landscape, translating complex rules into clear, actionable strategies to protect commercial interests and support business growth.

Experience

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Experience

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EU Competition and Regulatory

Anticipating EU Enforcement and Regulatory Trends We help clients overcome the evolving challenges of the European regulatory landscape, translating complex rules into clear, actionable strategies to protect commercial interests and support business growth.

Experience

Representative Matters

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Experience

Representative Matters

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Anticipating EU Enforcement and Regulatory Trends

We help clients overcome the evolving challenges of the European regulatory landscape, translating complex rules into clear, actionable strategies to protect commercial interests and support business growth.