The Deals That Get Away: Merger Control at the Edge of Its Reach
AI partnerships and “acquihire” arrangements involving teams and intellectual property are testing the boundaries of European merger control, raising questions about enforcement gaps, legal certainty, and innovation. International Center for Law & Economics (ICLE) President Geoffrey A. Manne emphasized these deals’ potential to improve financing and resource allocation, while fellow panelists debated national review powers and how to weigh competitive harms against innovation benefits. Moderated by ICLE Senior Scholar Giuseppe Colangelo and hosted by ICLE and the ULiège Institute for EU Legal Studies, the panel also explored AI bottlenecks and the risks of extending the Digital Markets Act before authorities better understand the sector’s evolution. Video of the full panel is embedded below.