CMA Launches Consultation on Proposed Changes to De Minimis Exception in UK Merger Control Regime

Matthew G. Rose and Rebecca GrevittPosted on January 25, 2017

On 23 January 2017, the UK Competition and Markets Authority launched a public consultation on possible changes to the de minimis exception. The proposed changes would increase the upper threshold for markets considered to be sufficiently important to justify a merger reference from £10 million to £15 million, and would raise the lower threshold for markets not considered to be sufficiently important from below £3 million to below £5 million. Handshake of businessmen - greeting, dealing, mergers and acquisition concept

The UK Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”) has a duty to refer a transaction for an “in depth” phase 2 investigation in instances where it believes that there is a realistic prospect of a transaction resulting in a “substantial lessening of competition”, subject to certain exceptions. This includes a de minimis exception in markets of “insufficient importance”, where the costs involved in investigating the transaction would be disproportionate to the size of the market concerned.