Mediobanca withdrew its lawsuit against the ECB's decision which has made possible its hostile takeover by Monte dei Paschi di Siena, or MPS. The move was completely expected, since MPS had achieved control of Mediobanca just one week after the lawsuit was filed www.mlex.com/mlex/mergers...

Clearly what of the 10 best BSky posts (out of a sample of 11 I saw this morning) ⬇️

C'est toujours étonnant, ces dirigeants politiques qui découvrent la brutalité du fonctionnement réel et banal de la justice, à l'occasion de la condamnation d'un dirigeant politique www.lemonde.fr/politique/ar...

🥊💥🍿 www.mlex.com/mlex/antitru...

Yep, that was me again

Journée sans voiture!

Mediobanca made a last-ditch attempt to thwart its hostile takeover by its rival Monte dei Paschi di Siena by appealing the European Central Bank approval that enabled the deal, MLex has learned www.mlex.com/mlex/dealris...

The Spanish government has been given an extra 6 weeks to reply to EU Commission concerns over its "discretionary powers" in banking mergers, in an infringement procedure started after Madrid's interference in BBVA's buyout of Sabadell www.mlex.com/mlex/mergers-acquisitions/articles/2389769

Competitiveness, defence and affordable housing will be discussed by EU leaders during the October European Council, according to a draft annotated agenda obtained by MLex. www.mlex.com/mlex/energy/...

“If you look back nine months ago, in January, everybody was really afraid,” @eucopresident.consilium.europa.eu told @financialtimes.com. “But now I think we have turned the page and need to build upon this new stability and look forward to continuing our relationship with the US” on.ft.com/42hyaVV

The EU Commission allowed former Commissioner Johannes Hahn to set up his consultancy company 'Hahn Management'. The authorisation comes with restrictions regarding the clients and missions he can accept, as well as the obligation to update the Commission every six months on his clients and projects

👀

The Guardian has today printed the names, and where possible, images, of all the media workers killed in Gaza, as part of an international day of action involving more than 150 media organisations. www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

This morning, we published a story saying that European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen auto-deletes all her text messages on the Signal app, including those with an EU leader, president Emmanuel Macron of France. Here is why this is a massive problem for public accountability. 🧵

A survey by the Financial Times found that economists based in the US and Europe believe the president’s attacks on the US central bank have caused long-term damage to the institution as well as to the economy on.ft.com/47V6KZz

The calculated silence of America’s business and finance leaders on.ft.com/3JJNpAx

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said today that their countries would enhance collaboration on defense and critical minerals.

Can't wait 😃

MLex is looking for a Trade Chief Correspondent in Brussels relx.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/LexisNexisLe...

The EU Commission top official for competition policy said last February that DG Comp needed more resources to do its work correctly, according to an internal note obtained by MLex www.mlex.com/mlex/antitru...

European leaders rally round Zelenskyy ahead of Trump meeting on.ft.com/45DMV6e

Update: all three companies fined have appealed the decision www.mlex.com/mlex/article...

Man-made climate change made the July heat wave that blanketed Norway, Sweden and Finland 10 times more likely and 2 degrees Celsius hotter, according to a newly published scientific report.

A landmark decision from the French competition authority to fine three companies for having concluding bilateral no-poaches agreements will soon be challenged in courts, with at least two of the companies gearing up for lawsuit at the Paris Court of Appeals www.mlex.com/mlex/antitru...

Telecommunication company Telefónica is considering filing a lawsuit at a Spanish court to contest a 20 million euro fine imposed this week by the Spanish antitrust authority for not abiding by a merger behavioral commitment agreed 10 years ago www.mlex.com/mlex/dealris...

The Brazilian antitrust authority launched yesterday the first step of an antitrust investigation into alleged unfair practices by Microsoft to impose the use of its browser Edge. The company has until August 15 to hand over a first batch of documents www.mlex.com/mlex/antitru...

71 days since the Pfizergate ruling, the European Commission has come forward with a more detailed explanation regarding its text messages policy. (Still no reply to the NYT on the actual texts, though.) The reply says, in a nutshell,...

In case you were wondering, the estimated 2026 budget for the EU lobbyists register register is €857 000 (including a €30 000 antivirus) transparency-register.europa.eu/document/dow...

Now official ! digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu/consultation...

The European Commission is planning to conduct this summer a public consultation on the upcoming review of the Digital Markets Act, according to a document seen by MLex www.mlex.com/mlex/antitru...

The 78-year old Italian Emilio De Capitani is a gamekeeper turned poacher — going from working for the European Parliament, to using every legal trick in the book to try to force open the ‘black box’ of EU decision making.

MLex is publishing the consolidated text for the procedural reform of #GDPR enforcement, which is set to be adopted at a meeting of EU ambassadors (COREPER II) on June 27. www.mlex.com/mlex/article...

The EU Commission just allowed Johannes Hahn to become a Special Emissary of the Austrian Government. He will lead Austria's campaign to obtain a temporary seat in the United Nations Security Council

EU heads of State and government are expected to call during a summit next week to intensify work on the bloc's simplification agenda, according to draft of the final conclusions obtained by MLex www.mlex.com/mlex/antitru...

The Council of the EU appointed last week the former president of the European Court of Human Right as a judge at the European Court of Justice, in a move that proved confusing to anyone that has not understood the difference between the Council of the EU and the Council of Europe.

An “aviation industry declaration” on sustainable fuel, due to be given to the EU’s transport chief next week, was actually drafted by European Commission officials and sent to aviation lobbies for endorsement, several lobbyists told us.

Apple has filed a lawsuit at the Paris Court of Appeal to contest the 150 million euros fine imposed last March by the French competition authority over its applications tracking transparency policy www.mlex.com/mlex/antitru...

EU heads of states and governments will revert to defence, competitiveness and preparedness during the June European Council, according to guidelines for conclusions discussed today by ambassadors

The EU Commission is planning to unveil its post-2027 multiannual budget in two different packages in the second half of July, according to a draft agenda obtained by @lucabertuzzi.bsky.social

Marko Bošnjak, the current president of the European Court of Human Rights, is set to become a judge at the European Court of Justice. His appointment will be submitted for approval to EU member States representatives on June 11, according to a doc seen by MLex. www.mlex.com/mlex/antitru...

It took three years of litigation, but now Berlin's version of Pfizergate has its conclusion - a German court decided that texts between then-finance minister Christian Lindner and Porsche CEO Blume should be released - a victory made possible by the EU's Environmental Information Directive.

UniCredit offers commitments to secure Banco BPM acquisition www.mlex.com/mlex/dealris...

Ursula von der Leyen just got a new defence advisor

MLex is hiring a legal researcher in Brussels ⬇️ relx.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/LexisNexisLe...

Tropical forest loss rocketed to a 20-year high in 2024 as climate change-fueled wildfires tore through some of the planet's most important natural carbon sinks.

The EU Commission considers tweaking state aid rules - in particular the General Block Exemption Regulation and the rules on Services of General Economic Interest - to ensure member States can support building and renovation of houses. www.mlex.com/mlex/state-a...

The EU's agriculture industry is losing €28 billion a year due to increasing climate risks, such as droughts and flooding, according to a new study. That's equivalent to around 6% of production. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

The EU Commission top official for competition policy said that he will be closely watching the new Microsoft-Open AI partnership, and will not hesitate to intervene if the deal gives to Microsoft some control over Open AI - as that would make it equivalent to a merger. www.mlex.com/mlex/artific...

French antitrust authority will look into the energy consumption of AI firms, its chair Benoit Coeure told a conference yesterday. He said that there could be "barriers to entry if some entities have a privileged access to some energy sources." www.mlex.com/mlex/antitru...