The review of cross-border mergers is becoming increasingly relevant to competition authorities. A digitalised economy and a recent trend of large-scale transactions is making it more common to have mergers between multinational companies that require review in multiple jurisdictions, with assets located in different parts of the world. In this context, what are the most pressing complexities of cross-border mergers? What emerging strategies or approaches can competition authorities use to effectively review these transactions, considering the unique characteristics of digital markets? On 26 February, the OECD Competition Open Day held a panel of international experts from academia and enforcement agencies to explore these and other fascinating questions around cross-border mergers in the digital age.
The session, available on replay below, was moderated by Aura García Pabón (Competition Expert, OECD) and had as invited speakers: Rima J. Alaily (Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Microsoft), Felipe Cerda Becker (Deputy National Economic Prosecutor, FNE Chile) and Annemiek Wilpshaar (Head of the Unit, Mergers, DG COMP).