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Antitrust, Competition and Trade

The CMS Antitrust, Competition and Trade (ACT) group in Budapest, Hungary, part of the fully integrated CMS global team, is one of the largest specialist competition and trade teams in the country. Globally, more than 225 CMS experts advise clients in over 40 countries on all ACT matters.

Given our size and extensive footprint, we can deal with all ACT matters irrespective of their geographic dimension. Where necessary, we cooperate with long-established contacts from our wider network of affiliated law firms around the world.
We are specialists across the full range of Antitrust, Competition and Trade matters. We have expert sub-groups that specialise in specific areas in the wider competition and trade field, e.g. for State aid internal investigations and screening. We are also well-known as experts in various sectors of the economy. Our renowned sector specialisation encompasses automotive, consumer products/FMCG, construction, digital economy, energy/oil & gas, life sciences, telecommunications/media and transport, to name but a few. 

Our clients range from many multinationals who frequently use our team as their ACT law firm of choice for the entire region (e.g., in Europe or CEE), and a high number of medium-sized companies. Our dedicated competition and regulatory experts in Hungary can advise you on the entire range of contentious and non-contentious competition law issues. We regularly advise clients on competition matters across multiple jurisdictions in CEE, working closely together across the CMS Network, to deliver consistent and joined-up advice. CMS Budapest has a successful track record in representing clients before national authorities and courts, as well as the European Commission.

The Competition Team in Hungary is considered to be among the best practices in the country and in CEE, with a stable, sector-focused team of specialists including former in-house lawyers, counsels of the Hungarian Competition Authority and economists. The team has achieved outstanding results in recent years in significant antitrust, abuse of dominance, merger control, consumer protections cases, private damages actions and state aid matters, while ranked highest by all legal directories (Elite at GCR, Band 1 at Chambers&Partners, and Tier 1 at Legal500).

We use the most up-to-date technical and AI tools to support our business in Hungary and abroad. 

We hold a renowned annual EU competition law conference which has become a feature in the Brussels calendar. We put out regular case law updates on Hungarian, European and international competition and trade developments on our Law Now service. Our monthly EU law webinars are attended by in house counsel from around the world. And our group is steered not just by a management committee of partners, but also by an active associates’ group that keeps us innovating to serve clients.

We cover every area of Antitrust, Competition and Trade law—internationally and on the Hungarian market.

"I fully rely on CMS with complex and sophisticated matters - the lawyers investigate the issue from every possible angle and deliver a full solution."

Chambers, 2023

"[The competition team’s] client management is exceptionally great; they are able to make me feel that I am the only and most important client of the office."

Chambers Europe, 2022

Choose area

Abuse of Dominance and Economic Dependence
Competitive conduct by companies with a strong market position is subject to increasing scrutiny and may lead to unwanted regulatory intervention, hig
Abuse of significant market power - ACT 925x290
Abuse of Significant Market Power
We assist our clients in various claims against abuses of significant market power, a special regime introduced by the Hungarian commercial act and en
Owl
Competition and Cartel Investigations
Companies should be alive to the possibility of investigations and fines for anti-competitive behaviour. We defend our clients in cartel and other reg
Compliance new - ACT 925x290
Compliance
We provide day to day advice on all competition law matters to help clients avoid any conflicts with competition laws. We work closely with our expert
Consumer Protection
Monitoring consumer protection has been one of the priorities of the European Commission and the Hungarian Competition Authority. This is hardly surpr
computer chip on pcb
Digital Markets
CMS is widely recognised as a leader in providing legal advice to clients from the digital and technology markets. We help companies avoid regulatory
Chinese lucky coins
Foreign Investment Screening
Our widespread footprint — with CMS offices in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America — combined with an extensive network of long-establi
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Foreign Subsidies Control
The EU intends to extend State aid control to the support of businesses provided by non-EU governments. This new field of law is expected to enter int
cargo ship on water
General EU Law, Free Movement of Goods, Services and Capital
With our highly specialised expertise in general European law, based mainly in Brussels, we help companies defend their commercial interests in all ma
Horizontal Agreements
The line between admissible conduct and infringement can be thin. Our specialists’ expertise covers the full range of horizontal cooperation and
Zips
Merger Control
We have a long and extensive track record of advising clients on merger control requirements and representing them in merger control proceedings. Each
Private Enforcement
The CMS team acts for claimants and defendants in all competition-related private enforcement matters. Our extensive experience across many cases give
Regulatory
Companies in regulated industries are under constant scrutiny over anti-competitive behaviour. With our in-depth sector specific competition law exper
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State Aid and EU Subsidies
State aid is a constantly developing field of law. The EU and its Member States and many other governments outside the EU have introduced or are about
cargo containers
Trade Law and Sanctions
In an increasingly challenging international business world, we help companies to remain compliant and keep supply chains moving. With export control
Unfair Competition
Potential civil law claims related to acts of unfair competition involve do not only competition-related private enforcement resulting from anticompet
ACT - Unfair trading practices 925x290
Unfair Trading Practices (UTP)
We are at the forefront of advising clients in the field of unfair trading practices which is, unlike in most EU countries, a well-established regime
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Vertical Agreements
We give clients confidence in their relationships with suppliers, resellers and customers, both online and offline. By reviewing their distribution sy
COVID-19 outbreak and competition law in Hungary: the competition authority...
30/07/2019
Highlights of experience in Competition in Hungary
Major Hungarian bank in the judicial review procedure of the Hungarian Competition Office’s infringement decision relating to the multilateral interchange fees, where following the second instance court’s...

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12/03/2024
After EU Commission's first decision on Carbon Contracts for Difference,...
The European Commission approved the first Carbon Contracts for Difference (CCfD) scheme under the new Guidelines on State aid for climate, environmental protection and energy 2022 (CEEAG).Fol­low­ing the...
07/03/2024
Practical guidance on how to assess the existence of aid for risk financing...
On 26 January 2024, the Commission adopted practical guidance for Member States on assessing the existence of State aid for measures aimed at facilitating access to financing for certain busi­nesses.Risk...
05/03/2024
European Commission authorises EUR 550 million Italian hydrogen aid scheme
On 30 January 2024, the European Commission authorised an Italian hydrogen aid scheme with a budget of EUR 550 million under the Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework.The Green Deal industrial planThe...
22/01/2024
State aid: The European Commission approves an Italian aid scheme for the...
On 15 January 2024, the European Commission approved a EUR 120 mil­lion Italian aid scheme for all airlines establishing new connections between one of the three airports in Calabria, namely Tito Minniti...
27/11/2023
State aid: Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework extended
The European Commission has adjusted the timetable for phasing out the provisions of the State aid Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework after sending Member States this proposal for partial adjustment...
14/11/2023
CMS-AmCham Competition Law Conference
CMS in conjuction with AmCham are delighted to invite you and your colleagues to the first in the series of annual competition law conferences. In a time when the point where business practices and environmental...
18/10/2023
State aid: The Court of Justice of the EU annuls the judgment of the General...
The European Commission's decision of 31 July 2017  On 7 April 2017, Germany notified the Commission of its plan to grant operating aid to Frankfurt-Hahn airport to cover the deficit of its operator...
10/07/2023
In-depth investigation by the European Commission into Danish and Swedish...
In August 2020, Denmark and Sweden notified the European Commission of their plans to provide support in the form of recapitalisation measures for the airline SAS.As a result of pandemic-related travel...
26/06/2023
Revised guidance on the application of EU State aid rules in the UK post-Brexit
On 9 June 2023, the European Commission (“EC”) adopted a revised Notice on the application of the EU State aid rules to the UK following the end of the Brexit transition period.  On the same day...
01/06/2023
State aid: following appeals by Ryanair, the General Court of the EU annuls...
On 11 May 2023, the General Court of the EU cancelled two European Commission decisions authorizing State aid in the form of capital injections for the airlines SAS and Deutsche Lufthansa, in particular...
18/05/2023
European Commission's public consultation on the extension of operating...
The European Commission has recently submitted for public consultation its draft communication extending the transitional period for operating aid that can be granted to regional airports under the 2014...
13/04/2023
State aid: Italian EUR 400 million loan for Alitalia qualified by the European...
On 27 March 2023, the European Commission concluded that an Italian loan of EUR 400 million granted in 2019 in favour of Alitalia constituted illegal and incompatible aid that has to be reimbursed. Alitalia...