The European Commission has adopted proposals for Council decisions to sign and conclude the EU-UK Competition Cooperation Agreement. This agreement establishes a framework for cooperation on competition matters between the Commission, EU Member States’ competition authorities, and the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority in enforcing EU competition rules.
The agreement outlines that significant antitrust and merger investigations will be communicated to each party. It allows for coordinated investigations across jurisdictions when necessary, involving either the Commission or Member State competition authorities on the EU side, depending on the case. Clear principles of cooperation are set to avoid jurisdictional conflicts. For exchanging confidential information, consent from the company providing it remains necessary.
This Competition Cooperation Agreement is a ‘supplementing agreement’ to the existing EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which already provides for competition cooperation and coordination.
The agreement will take effect once both the EU and UK complete their ratification procedures. The next step involves inviting the Council to adopt a decision to formally sign this agreement. Following this, another decision by the Council is needed to conclude it, requiring European Parliament’s consent as well. This conclusion decision will finalize the EU interinstitutional process.
This development follows a June 2023 Council Decision authorizing negotiations with the UK. By October 2024, both parties had completed technical-level negotiations on this cooperation agreement.
Lea Zuber serves as spokesperson for further inquiries at +32 2 29 56298 or via email at [email protected]. Press Officer Sara Simonini can also be contacted at +32 2 29 83367 or [email protected].
