Brussels Edition

EU Weighs Looser Guidelines for Corporate Mergers

New antitrust guidelines may take efficiency benefits into account.

Teresa Ribera, executive vice-president of the European Commission, during an interview in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, March 26, 2026. European Union rules requiring electronics to include easily replaceable batteries could force consumer tech makers to rethink their designs and go beyond the repairability improvements theyve made in recent years.Photographer: Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg

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By Suzanne Lynch

April 17, 2026 at 1:05 PM UTC

Welcome to the Brussels Edition. I’m Suzanne Lynch, Bloomberg’s Brussels bureau chief, bringing you the latest from the EU each weekday. Make sure you’re signed up.

As Europe confronts its competitiveness challenges, the bloc’s merger rules are coming under scrutiny. The European Commission will publish new guidelines as early as next month in the major review of the bloc’s competition policies in two decades.