European Union: European Commission submitted proposal for a Council Decision on the signing of the EU-UK Competition Cooperation Agreement

On 19 May 2025, the European Commission submitted a proposal for a Council Decision on the signing on behalf of the European Union of the Agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland regarding cooperation on the application of their competition laws (Competition Cooperation Agreement/TCA). The TCA supplements the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement and enables direct cooperation in competition investigations between the EU Commission, the national competition authorities (NCAs) of the EU Member States, and the UK Competition and Markets Authority. The TCA includes measures on mutual notification of significant antitrust and merger investigations, coordination of investigations to avoid jurisdictional conflicts, and establishes principles for cooperation, including the requirement for a waiver for the exchange of confidential information.