Ireland—Commercial analysis: This article, was written by A&L Goodbody’s EU, Competition & Procurement Team. On 14 October 2025, the European Commission fined Gucci, Chloé and Loewe over €157m for engaging in illegal resale price maintenance.

Ireland—Commercial & Corporate analysis: This article, written by A&L Goodbody’s EU, Competition & Procurement Team, notes that in a line of recent cases the General Court has examined the limits on the powers of the European Commission to carry out dawn raids on businesses suspected of breaching competition law, focusing on evidentiary, procedural and proportionality standards under Regulation 1/2003.

Law360, London: EU countries advanced a post-Brexit deal concerning the British overseas territory of Gibraltar on 8 April 2026, which includes the introduction of a transaction tax to reduce competitive distortions with Spain, according to a Council of the EU news release.

EU and Mercosur companies could soon benefit from a trade agreement, following the announcement on 6 December 2024 of a ‘historic’ deal after 25 years of negotiations. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the partnership will save EU exporters €4bn annually. However, she must now address internal opposition led by France over environmental clauses and unfair competition—a key concern for the EU's farming sector.

MLex: The EU and Mexico plan to sign their revamped trade agreement on 21–22 May 2026 in Mexico City, replacing a 25-year-old deal and expanding market access, procurement rules and investment protection. The deal forms part of the EU’s diversification strategy, and also offers Mexico an opportunity to reduce reliance on the US ahead of July’s renegotiation of the USMCA.

MLex: The EU and Mexico signed a revamped trade agreement on 22 May 2026, upgrading a framework in force since 2000 and adding another deal to the EU’s recent push to diversify trade ties. The agreement, signed at a summit in Mexico City, will now go to the European Parliament for consent, and is set to remove most remaining tariffs, expand access to public-procurement markets and strengthen supply chains for critical raw materials.

The European Commission, Australia's eSafety Commissioner and the UK's Ofcom have issued a joint communication reaffirming their commitment to advancing child safety on digital platforms. The statement outlines a series of joint actions to complement ongoing efforts to implement online safety legislation and promote a safe and secure online environment for minors. The three regulators aim to ensure that children have safe, inclusive and empowering access to digital technologies, enabling them to develop digital skills, media literacy and critical thinking. They have also agreed to establish a group on age assurance to develop privacy-focused, safe and secure solutions for age verification. This group will further explore how to build the technical evidence base for age assurance and how regulators can support independent research in this area.

MLex: The participation of the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer at the 9 December 2024 meeting of EU finance ministers was seen in Brussels as a signal that the EU and the UK will start new, fresh relations on economic affairs, four years after Brexit took effect. But the positive tone from both sides of the Channel must not hide the basic truth: the regulatory frameworks set by both jurisdictions over financial entities are on diverging paths.

The EU and US agreed on 27 July 2025 to a trade deal setting a 15% tariff on most European exports, including cars and semiconductors. Steel and aluminium will be covered by a quota system, with final terms still pending. The deal also includes provisions for the EU to buy $750bn in US energy over three years and invest $600bn in the US economy.

MLex: The EU-Israel association agreement governing political and trade relations between the two parties will face scrutiny over alleged human-rights violations in Gaza. EU governments have asked the European Commission to review the accord due to the ‘catastrophic’ humanitarian situation in Gaza, said Kaja Kallas, the EU's top diplomat. The review, initially requested by Ireland and Spain last year, might lead to the suspension of the association agreement.

The European Commissioner for Energy and the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan have announced the increased EU-Japan cooperation in the hydrogen business and technology development at the High-Level Hydrogen Business Forum, following the EU-Japan Memorandum of Cooperation on Hydrogen signed in December 2022. The Commissioner and Minister also agreed to promote a level playing field to prevent the economic dependence on the supply of certain strategic goods, to work together on supply and demand-side policies in clean energy sectors (focusing on the fields of wind, solar and hydrogen) and to form a Japan-EU Clean Energy Industrial Policy Coordination to carry out this work.

MLex: Tariff cuts included in the EU-Mercosur trade agreement will apply provisionally from 1 May 2026 after the European Commission completed procedural steps on 23 March 2026. Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay have notified their ratification, and Paraguay is expected to follow, the Commission said. European Parliament consent is needed for the deal to become definitive, and this could be years away as lawmakers have asked for legal advice on it.