Competitive Edge Newsletter: Competition Law - January 2026
Contacts
Partner
Netherlands
I am a partner in our NL office, based in The Hague, where I was one of its founding lawyers in 2001.
Partner
Denmark
I'm a partner and co-head of our international Competition & EU group. I also lead the Competition & EU team in Denmark. I have a particular focus on applying competition & EU law as a tool to achieve specific and measurable business objectives for our clients.
Keeping you up to date on Competition and EU law developments in Europe and beyond.
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In Focus
Cross-border perspectives on Antitrust and Sport
Competition and sports law experts Dr Saskia King and Richard Bush, along with Senior Associate, Emma Bermingham and Associate, Aditi Aggarwal, have published this article in Concurrences Review N° 1-2026 providing insights on the competition law and sports governance landscape post Superleague.
The article challenges the position that sporting rules not satisfying Superleague’s procedural set of criteria should automatically constitute by-object restrictions of competition law under Article 101 TFEU. By examining the Superleague judgment and recent Advocate General opinions in the cases RRC Sports, ROGON and Tondela, the authors demonstrate why the by-object test - and in particular, contextual analysis - remains fundamental.
This article is normally behind a paywall, but will be open to all readers until 21 February 2026.
The Fine Line: where pay transparency regulation and competition law risk intersect
As the EU Pay Transparency Directive's 7 June 2026 implementation deadline approaches, multinationals face a new compliance challenge: meeting transparency obligations without crossing into anti-competitive information exchange.
Recent enforcement action by the UK CMA and European Commission signals that labour markets remain a priority focus for competition authorities. The CMA's first labour market infringement decision in March 2025 resulted in a £4.24 million fine for wage collusion, whilst the European Commission imposed €329 million in fines for no-poach agreements in June 2025.
Our competition experts Ariane Le Strat, Aditi Aggarwal, and employment experts Emily Clark and Olivia Baxendale examine this intersection, explaining when pay transparency crosses into unlawful collusion and providing practical risk mitigation strategies for HR, reward and recruitment teams navigating these competing obligations.
Updates from our jurisdictions
EU
Post-infringement redemption - How to avoid exclusion from EU tenders and funding after a competition law infringement
If you need more information or further guidance in this area, please contact Baptist Vleeshouwers or Claire De Neve.
Australia
Australia's new merger regime: It’s not getting any easier!
If you need more information or further guidance in this area, please contact Thomas Jones, Matthew Bovaird or Dylan McGirr.
Belgium
Belgian Competition Authority clears early adoption of compostable coffee pod requirement
If you need more information or further guidance in this area, please contact Baptist Vleeshouwers, Sander Wagemakers and Claire De Neve.
Denmark
The Garden of Eden: The Danish Competition Council takes a bite out of Apple
To each his own… or not - Danish Competition Appeals Board overturns long-running Botex market allocation ruling
If you need more information or further guidance in this area, please contact Morten Nissen, Alexander Brøchner, Pauline Holm Jørgensen or Selma Hjorth Aslan.
France
Too small to notify, too dangerous to ignore? The French Competition Authority's scrutiny of below-threshold acquisitions
If you need more information or further guidance in this area, please contact Elsa Mandel Benichou or Thomas Oster.
Netherlands
Dutch vets under the ACM microscope: consolidation, emergency care and a push to ban commercial incentives
If you need more information or further guidance in this area, please contact Pauline Kuipers or Sander Wagemakers.
Italy
The Italian Competition Authority has sanctioned Ryanair for abuse of dominant position
If you need more information or further guidance in this area, please contact Federico Marini Balestra, Lucia Antonazzi and Jacopo Orsi.
Spain
A late bloomer tale - CNMC ends 2025 with the first vertical case of the year
If you need more information or further guidance in this area, please contact Candela Sotés or Pablo Rodríguez.
UK
AI regulation in the UK: The role of the regulators
If you need more information or further guidance on the competition law side of this topic, please contact Ariane Le Strat and Aditi Aggarwal.
Events and webinars
European League of Sports Antitrust webinar hosted by Kings Chambers
Sports Antitrust: The Year in Review
28 January | 14:00 - 17:00 GMT | Online
This free webinar hosted by Kings Chambers will provide an overview of 2025's most significant competition law developments in sport. Alongside leading academics and practitioners, our Londonbased partner Dr Saskia King will address competition enforcement in sports labour markets, exploring the impact of recent rulings on issues such as salary caps, player mobility restrictions and no-poach agreements. The session brings together high-calibre speakers to analyse landmark cases, enforcement trends and emerging challenges facing sports bodies, leagues, athletes and regulatory authorities.
Find out more and register here
Bird & Bird in-person event
Life Sciences Academy 2026
5 February | 8:30 - 14:00 GMT | Bird & Bird
London office
Join us at our Bird & Bird London office on Thursday 5 February, for our Life Sciences Academy, where we’ll share the latest legal insights on the issues shaping the life sciences sector. Aimed at professionals looking to stay ahead of emerging trends and regulatory developments, this is a must attend event for the industry.
Our multidisciplinary team - spanning Corporate/M&A, Intellectual Property, Regulatory, Competition, Commercial, and Data Protection - will deliver a series of focused sessions on the key topics impacting the industry. Dr Saskia King will cover the competition law trends and challenges facing the industry.
Guest speaker Jeremy Thorpe, Managing Director of Tillotts Pharma UK & Ireland, will share his perspectives on current challenges and opportunities in pharma, including insights from an in-house viewpoint.
Find out more and register here
Informa conference
Consumer Protection Forum
12 February | London, UK
Our London-based partner Dr Saskia King will chair Informa's inaugural Consumer Protection Forum. This event examines the UK Competition and Markets Authority's (CMA) strengthened consumer protection powers and how businesses should respond to increased enforcement around drippricing, fake reviews, subscription practices and other emerging issues. The forum will bring together the CMA, in-house counsel and enforcement specialists to discuss practical compliance strategies and risk management in the evolving UK regulatory landscape.
Find out more and register with a 20% VIP discount
Conference
Competition Next Gen Summit 2026
3 - 4 March | London, UK
At this event, hosted by Thought Leaders 4 Competition, Europe's rising stars in competition law will gather to network, share experiences and build their personal brands. One of the member of the event's Advisory Board is our senior associate Tialda Beetstra (Netherlands). She will moderate and speak at the "Exploring Developments in Foreign Subsidies Regulation" and "Lessons Learned from Key Foreign Direct Investment Regimes" panels.
Conference
European law at a Crossroads
12 March | 14:00 - 18:00 CET | Amsterdam
The Dutch Journal of European Law Nederlands tijdschrift voor Europees Recht (NtER) is marking over 30 years of publication with a symposium examining whether European law stands are at a crossroads (Europees recht op een kruispunt). The event brings together leading practitioners to analyse historical developments and current transitions in European law. Our partner Pauline Kuipers will be speaking at the event, which addresses critical questions about the evolving regulatory landscape across three key themes shaping the future of EU law: human rights in the European Union, European security and defence policy, and market forces in the EU.
Register for the event (in Dutch) here
Informa conference
CompLaw: Nordic
17 - 18 March | Stockholm, Sweden
Morten Nissen will be speaking at this year's CompLaw: Nordic conference, addressing recent developments in Article 102 TFEU.
Morten's session will cover the draft Article 102 guidelines and review significant recent cases.
Now in its 10th year, CompLaw: Nordic brings together the Nordic NCAs, the European Commission, leading in-house counsel and specialised advisors to examine how competition law is developing across the region. If you're attending the conference, do come and say hello to Morten.
Find out more and register with a 20% VIP discount
Bird & Bird news
Ahead of the Game: Sports Horizon Scanning 2026
The sports industry is being reshaped by regulatory intensification, technological acceleration, and fundamental commercial transformation. From AI transforming club operations to record-breaking investment in women's sport, organisations face complex challenges and extraordinary opportunities in the new year.
Bird & Bird's Sports Horizon 2026 report delivers the actionable insights you need to navigate this dynamic landscape. Our competition law experts Dr. Saskia King, Ariane Le Strat and Emma Bermingham authored the section on competition law developments in the sports sector, examining the regulatory shifts reshaping competitive dynamics across the industry.
Antitrust Writing Awards 2026
We are delighted to share that three of our articles have been shortlisted for this year's Antitrust Writing Awards! Read them at the links below and please take a moment to vote for your favourite articles.
Avoiding Risks When Responding to Competition Authority Information Requests: Lessons Learnt from the Commission's Eurofield Decision
by Anne Federle and David Wouters
Read and vote for the article here
A General Introduction to Pharmaceutical Intellectual Property and Competition in the UK
by Sally Shorthose, Peter Willis, Chris de Mauny, Dr. Saskia King, Pieter Erasmus, Aimee Guzinska-Bowley and Henna Malik
Read and vote for the article here
UK Collective Competition Damages Claims
by Peter Willis and Flora McCarthy
Read and vote for the article here
Organised by Concurrences and The George Washington University Law School's Competition Law Center, the prestigious Antitrust Writing Awards select the best antitrust writings published in the past year.
Australian Competition team's recognition in Legal 500 2026 guide
Congratulations to our Competition and Tech & Comms Regulatory partner Thomas Jones and his Sydney-based team for their ranking in the Legal 500 2026 guide in the Competition and trade as well as the IT and telecoms sections.
Best Lawyers in Italy recognition
Congratulations to our Rome-based partner Federico Marini Balestra for his inclusion in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in Italy guide for Competition / EU and Telecommunications law.
