EU Green Deal and Competition Law

The ambitious European Green Deal is one of the European Commission’s key programmes. Accordingly, it has announced that all aspects of EU competition policy (competition law, merger control and state aid) must contribute to implementing the Green Deal, supporting the economy during the transition and achieving the overarching objective of a zero-carbon EU by 2050. 

Specifically, the European Commission is working on updating regulations and guidelines relating to state aid law, with the aim of enabling Member States to provide better support for the Green Deal’s objectives. It is expected that the European Commission will publish guidelines or other information to assist in assessing sustainability-related joint ventures. 

Companies need clear guidance that allows them to assess whether their sustainability projects are compatible with competition law. In particular, light needs to be shed on which types of cooperation are a priori not subject to the ban on cartels, and under which circumstances joint ventures can be exempted because they promote sustainability objectives.

Further content on the EU’s Green Deal can be found here.