Main Developments on Competition Law and Policy 2025 – Germany

Silke Heinz published a Kluwer Competition Law Blog on “Main Developments on Competition Law and Policy 2025 – Germany”, (see here).  The blog covers many of the Bundeskartellamt’s activities relating to the digital area, including under the special rules for digital gatekeepers (Section 19a ARC), as well as other areas, including a clearance due to efficiencies in merger control (power station’s block acquired by EP Group).  It is the first time that the Bundeskartellamt has used various powers it had obtained in the last legislative reform: to skim off an infringement’s economic benefits (Amazon’s price control mechanism), to order a company to notify mergers below the statutory thresholds following a sector inquiry (Rethmann Group) and to use the new competition tool in the case of malfunctioning of competition (wholesale fuels).  The blog also covers damages litigation, including follow-on damages after Google Shopping