International Cooperation and Regulation of Transanational Mergers: a Review of Possible Strategies for Effective Assessment of Transnational Mergers

As a growing number of countries have adopted merger control laws, merger operations affecting different national markets are likely to be reviewed by different national competition authorities. Multijurisdictional review, however, may result in high compliance costs for merging parties as well as in inconsistent regulatory decisions. Mechanisms for international cooperation between competition authorities can be viewed as necessary to effectively handle the competition review of such transactions. Thus, this book proposes the creation of an international merger control framework (IMCF) which rests on two pillars. The first pillar comprises the web of bilateral cooperation agreements, while the second pillar includes a set of non binding international competition principles, largely based on the work of the International Competition Network. As it gives an insight into problems associated with the regulation of transnational mergers, recommending how to shape an international framework for the review of these transactions, the book should be of interest to lawyers and scholars involved in international competition law.