About
Merit’s practice covers EU and German competition law with a focus on complex merger control and digital regulation. She is an expert in the media and technology sector.
Based in our Brussels office, and also a core member of our German antitrust team, Merit’s practice covers all aspects of EU and German competition law, including complex merger control and foreign investment screening. She is actively engaged in the EU’s Foreign Subsidies Regulation and co-heads the firm’s internal skills group. Merit has a particular expertise in the EU’s Digital Markets Act and digital platforms regulation, guiding global tech clients from compliance to the enforcement phase while responding to litigation risks.
Her practice also covers antitrust investigations, as well as EU state aid procedures before the European Commission and EU Courts.
Her clients include tech and media companies, financial institutions, private equity firms and industrials in transformation.
- Apple on the European Commission's high profile Digital Markets Act (DMA) investigations and in challenging its DMA designation before the EU Courts in Luxembourg.
- RTL on the acquisition of Sky Deutschland securing a landmark unconditional Phase I EUMR clearance as well as EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) clearance.
- Multiple clients on all aspects of the FSR, including assisting in M&A and public procurement notifications and helping setting up internal compliance systems.
- La Caisse on merger control and foreign direct investment aspects of various investments and acquisitions globally.
- Warburg Pincus on merger control and foreign direct investment aspects of various investments and acquisitions in Europe.
- Aon in relation to the European Commission’s review of its $29.9bn merger with Willis Towers Watson, securing clearance at Phase II. The EU clearance has been described by commentators as a decision that “would give hope to industry-changing deals”.
- AAC Technologies on the acquisition of Premium Sound Solutions from an EU merger control and FDI perspective.
- STMicroelectronics on the merger control and state aid aspects of its €5.7bn agreement to create a new, jointly operated semiconductor manufacturing facility with GlobalFoundries based in France.
- gategroup on the merger control and state aid aspects of its acquisition of the European business of Lufthansa’s subsidiary LSG Sky Chefs. EU clearance of the deal involved structural remedies which were later (partially) waived by the European Commission – a very rare outcome in EUMR Phase I merger remedies cases.
- Meyer Turku shipyard on state aid aspects of liquidity and equity measures for Finnish subsidiary of Meyer Werft.
- Major multinationals from across different business sectors on the European Commission's investigations into state aid through tax regimes, including appeal procedures before the European Courts; and a global tech company on its successful termination of a Commission investigation into fiscal aid.
- HSH Nordbank (now Hamburg Commercial Bank) on its successful privatisation process under EU state aid and merger control rules.
- A global industrials company on a fundamental review of its corporate strategy towards green transformation, including identifying EU and national government funding sources.
Merit Olthoff
Bastion Tower
Place du Champ de Mars/Marsveldplein 5
Brüssel B-1050