On February 26, 2025 the Düsseldorf Court of Appeal (“DCA”) dismissed a broad application of Germany’s transaction value threshold.[1] The threshold introduced in 2017 is a “safety net” for exceptional cases, not an additional standard aimed to lower the threshold for merger review. Companies in mature markets with established revenue streams face reduced risk of mandatory filings, even for high-value acquisitions.
On November 13, 2024, the General Court dismissed three appeals against the European Commission’s decision conditionally approving Vodafone’s acquisition of Liberty Global’s cable business assets in four EU Member States.[1] Deutsche Telekom, NetCologne, and Tele Columbus brought actions before the General Court seeking the annulment of the Commission’s clearance decision, arguing that the Commission should not have cleared Vodafone’s acquisition subject to behavioral commitments.