Antitrust/Competition

• Published date: 26 January 2024
• Subject Matter: Antitrust/Competition Law, Environment, Litigation, Mediation & Arbitration, Antitrust, EU Competition , Environmental Law, Class Actions
• Law Firm: Steptoe LLP
• Author: Mr Charles Whiddington, Yumiko Takahashi and Zanda Romata

2023 has been another eventful year for competition and consumer protection at both EU and UK levels. Below we set out three areas with notable developments, that are expected to impact antitrust enforcement and disputes this year.

Enforcement

As we predicted back in January 2023, the last year saw robust enforcement action by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), with a total of 13 investigations launched in a range of sectors, and the pace is expected to continue into 2024.

2024 is also set to see important changes to the UK's consumer protection regime with the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill (DMCC) expected to receive Royal Assent in Spring 2024. The DMCC will introduce a new targeted approach to addressing concerns regarding competition in the digital industry. Under the new regime, we expect to see the CMA's engagement with the most powerful firms in digital markets to ensure competition is maintained to protect and support consumers.

At the EU level, in September 2023, under the Digital Markets Act (DMA)...