UK: CMA ready for increase workload after Brexit

According to the Financial Times, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is gearing up for a big increase in responsibilities and workload after Brexit, including an array of cases that could put it under the political spotlight.

At present, the European Commission investigates the biggest mergers and competition cases affecting EU markets and citizens, and is also responsible for assessing and implementing rules on State aid across the bloc.

Once Britain leaves the EU, the CMA will have to make its own assessments in cases deemed to affect British markets and consumers, even in areas where the government is proposing to follow EU rules as closely as possible, reported the FT.

To handle the increased caseload, the CMA was allocated an additional £20.3 million (US$26.3 million) for 2018-19, a 29% increase, and has a target of recruiting an extra 240 people — a steep rise in personnel of almost 40%. It also wants about 50 new staff for its new state-aid division. That would take its staff numbers to almost 900, compared with 800 at the Commission’s Competition Directorate (although the latter does not oversee consumer affairs).