On 5 March 2026, DG Competition will host a conference to discuss key aspects of the ongoing review of the Merger Guidelines. This event will bring together leading experts and stakeholders to explore the latest developments and challenges in EU merger control.

The discussions during the conference will inform the review of the Merger Guidelines, ensuring that the EU’s merger control framework remains effective and fit for purpose in the context of evolving market realities. The event will feature a distinguished lineup of speakers, including prominent competition law and policy experts. The conference will be closed by Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera.

The conference will debate three broad themes: 

1. Driving productivity and innovation in the Single Market: the role of EU Merger control;
2. How can mergers promote a more sustainable Europe?; and
3. Mergers and the cost of living: price effects, workers woes and other impacts to society.

For each of the above topics, the conference features a panel and a break-out session. The break-out sessions will run in parallel in the afternoon and each participant will be able to participate in only one of them. A summary of the discussions from the breakout sessions will be presented and discussed in a final plenary session.

The conference will be held only in-person. 

Registration instructions

We will close registrations when we reach full capacity for the event. 
When registering, please indicate your preferences for the respective afternoon break-out session (1^st, 2^nd, in order of preference). Please note that we will take your preference into account when allocating participants to the break-out sessions, but we cannot guarantee a place at your preferred session.

DG Competition seeks to ensure a wide and diverse participation among stakeholders with practical experience in the application of the Merger Guidelines. If the number of applications exceeds the places available, DG Competition will accept applications with a view to ensure a balanced representation of all stakeholder categories, also taking into account the date of application and whether the applicant responded to the public consultation on the Merger Guidelines. In principle, no more than one participant per organisation will be admitted. 

DG Competition plans to inform the admitted participants via email by 13 February 2026.

REGISTER HERE

Background to the Conference

On 8 May 2025, the Commission launched two parallel consultations (the General Consultation and the In-Depth Consultation), seeking general and technical feedback from stakeholders on the Commission’s Horizontal and Non-Horizontal Merger Guidelines. In the context of the In-Depth Consultation, the Commission published seven focused papers, elaborating on a wide range of current challenges and on the legal and economic parameters used in its merger control assessment. 

The contributions to the General Consultation and the In-Depth Consultation as well as a high-level summary of contributions to the General Consultation may be found on the Commission’s Have Your Say Portal. Download the overview of the main trends identified in the replies to the General and In-depth Consultations.

The Commission organised two Stakeholder Workshops on 4 December 2025 and 20 January 2026 respectively.

The aim of the initiative is to revise the Merger Guidelines in order to provide a modern, comprehensive, legally and economically sound, predictable, and lasting framework applicable to all types of mergers and all economic sectors. The revised Merger Guidelines will reflect transformational changes that have taken place in the economy. The primary mission of EU merger control will remain the same: preserving a vibrant and competitive internal market which drives companies to offer to their customers and consumers innovative, affordable, and high-quality products.

If you have any questions regarding the Conference, please contact comp-mg-review-confec [dot] europa [dot] eu (comp-mg-review-conf[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu).