In the United States, we witnessed the emergence of the “America First” antitrust policy, important payment platform developments, the rollout of the new Hart-Scott-Rodino rules, significant developments in pricing algorithms, and much more. Across Europe, regulators navigated proliferating technology regulation—including the first appeals against the existing Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act—as well as new leadership at the European Commission and U.K. Competition and Markets Authority. The year also brought a strengthening of European Union (EU) industrial policy, with the application of instruments such as the EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation, another round of debate over merger control, and strategic issues like EU sovereignty. Additionally, there was a renewed focus on conduct in sectors like fast-moving consumer goods, directly impacting affordability for EU residents.
