The European Commission has cleared the proposed merger between Hapag Lloyd and Compañia Sud Americana de Vapores S.A. (CSAV), which would create the fourth largest container liner shipping company worldwide. The European Commission analyzed the effects of the transaction on 12 trade routes connecting Europe with the Americas, Asia, and the Middle East, and made the clearance conditional on the termination of the consortia to which CSAV currently takes part with MSC on two trade routes (between Northern Europe and the Caribbean and between Northern Europe and South America’s West Coast).
A CRA team led by Damien Neven provided economic advice to Hapag Lloyd during the European Commission proceedings.
The politician and the judge: Implications for competition policy
Drawing on the historical evolution of antitrust policy, the authors argue that some increase in politicisation is likely an inevitable result of the expansion...