This month has seen the East African Community Competition Authority announce it will accept merger filings with a cross-border element from 1 November 2025. EACCA to commence receipt of cross-border merger notifications; notifications thresholds and filing fees confirmed The East African Community Competition Authority (EACCA) has announced that it will begin accepting notifications of mergers and acquisitions with a cross-border dimension from 1 November 2025, pursuant to the East African Community Competition Act 2006. A transaction will be notifiable to the EACCA where: • the combined turnover or asset value of the merging undertakings in the East African Community (EAC) is US$35m or more (whichever is higher); and • at least two of the undertakings concerned have a combined turnover or asset value of at least US$20m within the EAC, unless each party achieves at least two-thirds of its turnover or assets within a single EAC Partner State The EACCA has also confirmed the applicable filing fees, tiered according to the value of the transaction. Aggregate value of turnover or assets as a result of the transaction Notification

This month has seen the Namibian Competition Commission consult on revised merger notification thresholds and filing fees. Namibia—Competition Commission proposes increases to the merger notification thresholds and filing fees On 13 August 2026, the Namibia Competition Commission (NaCC) held a stakeholder consultation on proposed changes to Namibia's merger notification thresholds and filing fees. The proposals seek to modernise the merger control regime. The notification thresholds were last amended in 2015 and filing fees were last revised in 2017. The NaCC proposes to double the existing merger notification thresholds, increasing the combined threshold to NAD60 million (approximately €2.9 million/USD3.4 million) and the target threshold to NAD30 million (approximately €1.5 million/USD1.7 million). It also proposes replacing the existing seven-tier filing fee structure with three categories, with fees of: • NAD90,000 (approximately €4,456/USD5,038) for small mergers • NAD350,000 (approximately €17,332/USD19,595) for intermediate mergers, and • NAD650,000 (approximately €32,188/USD36,391) for large mergers Alongside the higher thresholds, the NaCC proposes a supplementary test or discretionary review mechanism that would enable it to scrutinise below-threshold transactions that may adversely affect competition

This month has seen a large increase in the notification thresholds in the Philippines for a two-year period, cabinet approval of amendments to the merger control regime in Germany and the announcement by the EU’s Competition Commissioner that referrals will be accepted from Member States even where national notification thresholds are not met. Philippines—notification thresholds increased for two years The notification thresholds in the Philippines have been increased for two years – now, all transactions are exempt from the requirement to notify the PCC where the value of the transaction is less than PHP 50 billion (approx. €870.9m/US$1,026.6m) (ie target has either annual turnover in, into and from the Philippines or assets in the Philippines in excess of PHP 50 billion). In addition, for one year, the PCC’s discretionary power to review transactions under the thresholds has also been suspended. Comment: The change, which has now been ratified by the President, is in place for two years and is intended as an economic stimulus following the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This change will drastically reduce

Monthly round-up of international merger control developments for August/September 2021. This month has seen (amongst other things) significant changes to the Austrian merger control regime, the potential withdrawal of the vertical merger guidelines and the reversal of the way debt payoff is treated under the HSR in the US, significant proposals to amend the Australian merger control regime and updated merger control guidelines to reflect the introduction of the new size-of-transaction test in South Korea. Austria—significant changes to Austrian merger control introduced On 10 September 2021, the Austrian Cartel and Competition Law Amendment Act 2021 (the Act) came into force. In relation to merger control, the key changes include the following: • The introduction of a new second domestic turnover threshold, requiring that at least ‘two of the undertakings concerned each […] have a turnover of more than €1m’ in Austria (the other two turnover thresholds remain unchanged; ie a combined worldwide turnover of more than €300m (approximately $354m) and at least two concerned undertakings have a worldwide turnover of more than €5m (approximately $5.9m). It

This monthly round-up (December 2022) has seen the European Commission publish a Q&A guidance note complementing its 2021 guidance on the referral of mergers under Article 22 of the EU’s Merger Regulation, significant changes to the competition law (including an increase in the merger control thresholds) in Hungary, the approval of amendments to the merger control regime in Egypt, the launch of a consultation on amending the notification thresholds and lowering the filing fee cap in Saudi Arabia and a number of announcements made by the KFTC in relation to merger control in South Korea, including the creation of a new M&A division that will be dedicated to reviewing local and international transactions involving foreign companies. European Commission—new guidance published on the referral of mergers under Article 22 EUMR In December 2022, the European Commission (the Commission) published a new Q&A guidance note complementing its 2021 guidance on the application of the referral mechanism set out in Article 22 of the EU Merger Regulation (the EUMR). In March 2021, the Commission issued guidance on the Article

This month has seen the merger review deadline resuming in Brazil following the minimum quorum at the CADE being re-established, the Chinese government adopting amendments to the merger control thresholds, the Canadian government announcing further changes to Canadian competition law (including in relation to merger control), as well as some important amendments to the Competition Act entering into force, new changes to the merger control regime entering into force in the UAE, and the US antitrust agencies adopting new merger guidelines. Brazil—merger deadlines resume following minimum quorum at the CADE being re-established In our November 2023 merger monthly update, we mentioned that the merger deadline was suspended due to a lack of quorum at the CADE, which meant that transactions were not able to close and therefore ran the risk of gun jumping. On 27 December 2023, the Federal Official Gazette published the appointment of the Court’s new members, José Levi Mello do Amaral Júnior, Camila Cabral Pires Alves, Diogo Thomson de Andrade and Carlos Jacques Vieira Gomes. On the same day, Diogo Thomson de Andrade took

This month has seen the New Zealand government launch a consultation on reforming its competition law regime, including in relation to merger control. New Zealand—government launches consultation to reform its competition law regime On 5 December 2024, the New Zealand government (the government) launched and published a consultation paper to reform its competition law regime, including in relation to merger control. Regarding merger control, the government wishes to ‘ensure that the Commerce Commission (CC) has the tools required to prevent mergers that create competition concerns’. The consultation document is considering several reforms to New Zealand merger control regime, which are summarised below. Voluntary notification system not considered as part of the consultation The government is not proposing to change the current voluntary merger control regime. Instead, it is exploring whether it would be useful for the CC to have more powers to investigate and deal with mergers that operate outside of the clearance process. These changes could include: • stay and/or hold separate powers—these would allow the CC to suspend completion of a merger without needing to

This month has seen the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) finalise the waiver notification form and announce that the new asset thresholds and control thresholds will commence on 1 April 2026 (rather than 1 January 2026), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Council of Ministers approve the new COMESA Competition and Consumer Protection Regulation (2025) and Competition and Consumer Protection Rules (2025) (which include changes in relation to merger control), the New Zealand Government introduce a bill to reform its competition law (including in relation to merger control), major reforms proposed in Norway to amend the Competition Act (including in relation to merger control), the Swiss Parliament approve major reforms to the Competition Act, including a fundamental overhaul of merger control, and the Taiwan Fair Trade Commission (FTC) proposing reforms to merger filing and monopoly thresholds. Australia—ACCC finalises waiver notification form and April 2026 start date for the new asset thresholds and control thresholds On 1 December 2025, the Treasury and ACCC issued a significant update on the implementation of Australia’s

This monthly round-up (February 2023) has seen the annual amendments to the merger control thresholds in Argentina, Canada and the Philippines, as well as the South Korean Competition Authority launching a consultation on a draft bill to expedite the merger review process. Argentina—annual revision to notification thresholds Revised notification thresholds have entered into force in Argentina due to the annual increase in the value of adjustable units (the index used for the notification thresholds).  Under the increased thresholds, a transaction now requires notification in Argentina where the combined Argentinian turnover exceeds ARS 16.255m (approximately €118.6m/US$124.9m) (increased from ARS 8.345m), unless: • the total value of the assets being transferred in Argentina does not exceed ARS 3.251m (approximately €23.7m/US$24.9m); • the total price for the transaction in Argentina does not exceed ARS 3.251m (approximately €23.7m/US$24.9m); and • the acquiring group has not entered into any other transaction in the previous 12 or 36 months, in the same market, exceeding ARS 3.251m (approximately €23.7m/US$24.9m), or ARS 9.753m (approximately €71.1m/US$74.9m) respectively. Where the thresholds are met, notification is

This month has seen the annual amendment to the merger control thresholds in Canada, the European Commission adopting a revised Market Definition Notice, and the Ugandan President assenting to the long-awaited Competition Act, which includes the introduction of a mandatory merger control regime. Canada—thresholds remain the same in 2024 The Canadian Competition Bureau has confirmed that, following the annual review, the thresholds for notification under the Canadian merger control regime will remain unchanged in 2024. The thresholds remain (in summary): • size of transaction test: the target must be, or control, an 'operating business' in Canada with over CDN $93m (approximately €63.7m/US$68.9m) in Canadian assets (book value) or gross revenues generated by these assets from sales 'in or from' Canada (ie domestic plus export sales), and • size of parties test: all parties and their affiliates (in aggregate) must collectively have over CDN $400m (approximately €274m/US$296.3m) in Canadian assets or gross revenues generated by sales in, from or into Canada (ie domestic sales, exports and imports) (this threshold has remained constant since 1986). Where the

This month has seen annual revision of the merger control thresholds in Argentina and Malawi, significant proposed changes to merger control rules in Sweden, the announcement of turnover-based thresholds in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which will take effect on 31 March 2025, and the introduction of merger control proposals by the CMA in the UK, aimed at boosting growth, investment, and business confidence. Argentina—annual revision to notification thresholds Revised notification thresholds have entered into force in Argentina due to the annual increase in the value of adjustable units (the index used for the notification thresholds). Under the increased thresholds, a transaction now requires notification in Argentina where the combined Argentinian turnover exceeds ARS 110.2bn (approximately €111.3m/US$121.0m) (increased from ARS 50.6bn), unless: • the total value of the assets being transferred in Argentina does not exceed ARS 22.0bn (approximately approx. €22.2m/US$24.2m) • the total price for the transaction in Argentina does not exceed ARS 22.0bn (approximately approx. €22.2m/US$24.2m), and • the acquiring group has not entered into any other transaction in the previous 12 or 36 months, in

This month has seen the annual revision of the merger control thresholds in Colombia, significant changes to the merger control thresholds entering into force in Türkiye, and the Swedish Government submitting legislative proposals for major amendments to merger control. Colombia—annual revision to notification thresholds The annual increase to the tax value unit (the index used for the monetary notification thresholds) has come into force. A transaction now requires notification in Colombia where: • the parties’ combined turnover or assets in Colombia is at least COP 85.7bn (approximately €18.7m/US$21.2m) (this equates to 7,074,307.43 Tax Value Units, and has increased from COP 81.7bn in 2025), and • the parties carry out the same economic activity or are part of the same value chain in Colombia Where the thresholds are met, filing is mandatory. Closing should be suspended pending clearance (unless the combined market share is less than 20%, in which case, once notified, the transaction may be closed). Comment: The change to the notification thresholds is an annual occurrence based on the annual review of the minimum