2017 was another year of active enforcement globally—including in the U.S., despite the start of a new Presidential Administration touting an aggressive deregulatory agenda. Transactions in consolidated industries drew enforcement fire in both Europe and the United States (Dow/DuPont, ChemChina/Syngenta, Bayer/Monsanto, AT&T/Time Warmer). And, in March, the UK government formally started the “Brexit process,” which raises important questions about the enforcement of EU competition rules in the UK.
This Alert looks back at the major competition/antitrust developments in 2017 in the United States, Europe and China and the Covington view of what to expect in 2018.