Agne Vaitkeviciute

In 2024, the FSR’s first year in operation saw a large number of filings but limited enforcement, with only a handful of Phase 2 reviews, one conditional merger clearance and two ex officio cases. With the FSR now up and running, in 2025, we expect the EC’s focus to be on demonstrating the FSR’s value and delivering practical results by stepping up enforcement, building a corpus of reasoned decisions, and – it is hoped – developing a more streamlined process for non-issue cases.

On August 19, 2024, the French Competition Authority (“FCA”) unconditionally cleared Bouygues Telecom’s acquisition of sole control of La Poste Telecom (together “the Parties”) through the acquisition of La Poste Group’s 51% stake. SFR owned the remaining 49% of La Poste Telecom and had a right of first refusal on La Poste Group’s shares that were for sale, as well as a right of approval over the buyer of those shares.[1] The acquisition was completed on November 15, 2024.[2]