The call to arms by the European Union on the fight against climate change through the European Green Deal is a responsibility placed on all of us, including competition enforcers.
This position was echoed by comments made by Executive Vice President Vestager, at a sustainability conference, in which she stated, “[s]ustainability has gone from being something we talk about, to a central goal of policies around the world. All of Europe's policies - including competition policy - have a role to play to get us there.”93
Moreover, a report published by Reuters, underscores just how imperative it is that we act now. The report claims that Europe, at its current pace, will not achieve its 2030 climate goal, of a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 55% until 2050.94 The dangers of climate change that humanity is set to face in the coming decades cannot be overstated. Therefore, if the European Merger Control Regime can be adapted to contribute to the achievement of the Green Deal, it must be adapted at the earliest and fullest extent possible.
From the above chapters of this Thesis, we see that there is significant will power from the Commission to reshape its ‘Theory of Harm’ element of the merger assessment and this element under the current Merger Regime is therefore fit to assist the EU in its climate neutrality pursuit. However, the areas of the ‘Merger Efficiency Defence’ and ‘Public Policy Defence’ must be adapted to allow the EUMR become fully fit to assist the EU attain a green future and allow a peaceful co-existence between environmental sustainability and merger control. The changes needed in those two areas therefore undermine the statement by the Commission that the EUMR is, “broadly fit for purpose”.
On a final note, this Thesis has, through its in-depth analysis, concluded that change is
necessary in the aforementioned areas of European Merger Regulation for the Current Merger Regime to become fit to assist the EU in reaching its climate commitments under the
European Green Deal. Nevertheless, a shift in consumer and stakeholder preference
93 Daniel Metz & Agnes Fischl, ‘Towards a more sustainable approach in European competition Law? A discussion based on the example of merger control in the aviation industry’, 7 December 2019, Aviation and Competition Law Research, <https://www.aviationandcompetition.com/blog/tag/Competition+Law> accessed on 20th May 2022.
94 Reuters, ‚Europe to Miss 2030 Climate Goals by 21 years at Current Pace – Study’, 4th September 2022,
<https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/europe-miss-2030-climate-goal-by-21-years-current-pace-study-2021-09-04/> accessed on 2nd May 2022.
combined with a willingness from the Commission to incorporate more non-conventional considerations into the merger assessment has shown the possibility of a promising and green future and the potential for the European Merger Regime to soon become ‘fit for purpose’.
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Secondary Law
• Commission, Communication 11th December 2019, ‘the European Green Deal’ COM (2019) 640 final.
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Soft Law
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<https://www.acm.nl/sites/default/files/documents/2020-07/sustainability-agreements%5B1%5D.pdf>.
• ACM, ‘Vision Document, Competition and Sustainability’, May 2014 <
https://www.acm.nl/sites/default/files/old_publication/publicaties/13077_vision-document-competition-and-sustainability-2014-05-09.pdf >.
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Websites
• ‘A European Green Deal’ <https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en>.