Booking/Etraveli ruling expected to trigger “genuine shift” in merger enforcement, Global Competition Review

Partner Stéphane Dionnet spoke with Global Competition Review about the EU General Court’s decision to uphold the European Commission’s prohibition of Booking’s proposed acquisition of Etraveli and its implications for merger enforcement.

Stéphane said the ruling gives the Commission a “powerful new tool” for scrutinising ecosystem transactions.

“A conglomerate deal like this – hotels plus flights, with no direct overlap – would historically have been seen as neutral or even pro-competitive,” he said. “The court’s endorsement of the prohibition marks a genuine shift.”

Stéphane noted that the judgment could have implications beyond the technology sector, particularly for acquisitions by dominant companies involving data, intellectual property, infrastructure or routes to customers.

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