December 12, 2025 — The competition authority has launched a public consultation on proposed changes to merger notification criteria, inviting feedback from both the general public and the professional community until 31 December 2025.
The consultation, which opened on 1 October 2025, focuses on revising the existing thresholds that determine when concentrations must be notified for antitrust review. According to the authority, the current framework — largely based on the turnover of the parties involved — no longer adequately reflects modern market realities.
Concerns over missed problematic transactions
In its consultation notice, the authority notes that turnover-based thresholds often fail to capture potentially harmful transactions, particularly acquisitions of start-ups or incremental takeovers of small and medium-sized businesses that may nevertheless have significant competitive impact.
The authority has repeatedly argued that such deals can escape scrutiny despite raising concerns related to market power, innovation, or future competition — an issue increasingly debated across Europe and beyond.
Seeking feedback on new criteria
The purpose of the consultation is to gather views on:
- the effectiveness of the current notification system,
- the proposed additions or revisions to the existing criteria, and
- broader questions related to how merger control should adapt to evolving market dynamics.
Stakeholders are encouraged not only to submit formal comments, but also to raise questions and share practical experience with the existing regime.
Next steps
Detailed background materials, consultation documents and specific questions are available on the authority’s website. Submissions can be made until the end of the year, after which the authority is expected to assess the feedback before deciding whether and how to amend the notification framework.
The initiative forms part of a wider trend among competition authorities to reassess merger control thresholds in light of digitalisation, innovation-driven markets and the growing importance of transactions that may involve limited turnover but substantial competitive potential.
