European Council conclusions indicate support for companies scaling up but make no reference to telecoms consolidation

The European Council’s 19 March 2026 conclusions noted the role of the ongoing review of EU merger guidelines in enabling companies “to achieve the scale needed to invest, innovate and compete at global level”. However, unlike previous remarks by Council president António Costa, the conclusions did not refer to consolidation in telecoms or other specific sectors.

Deutsche Post/CTT joint ventures 2026

Update: Following an initial phase I merger review, the European Commission unconditionally cleared the acquisition of joint control by Deutsche Post (DHL Group) and CTT over each other’s standard small package delivery businesses in Portugal and Spain.

Explainer: New competition tools (NCTs)

Several European countries have introduced so-called new competition tools (NCTs) in recent years, empowering their competition authorities to address certain competition problems in markets by imposing remedies on companies without establishing an infringement of antitrust rules.

Broadband state aid spending in the EU: latest figures

According to the latest available European Commission data, EU member states spent a total of €4.59bn on broadband state aid in 2024. This was 12% less than in 2023.

Foreign Subsidies Regulation: European Commission’s new guidelines

The guidelines aim to enhance legal certainty by explaining how the Commission assesses distortions in the EU internal market caused by subsidies granted by non-EU countries, and how it uses its investigatory powers.

Explainer: EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR)

This updated report explains the key provisions of the FSR, which allows the Commission to address distortions in the EU internal market caused by foreign subsidies, i.e. subsidies granted by non-EU countries. It complements the EU’s state aid rules, which only apply to subsidies granted by EU countries.