Overview
Global merger control authorities remained highly active in Q3 2025, scrutinizing deals across healthcare, aerospace, logistics, and digital platforms. In the United States (US), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and US Department of Justice (DOJ) pursued aggressive enforcement in home health markets, while European and United Kingdom (UK) regulators focused on cross-ownership, supply-chain resilience, and platform dominance.
These cases highlight evolving priorities: safeguarding innovation, addressing labor-market effects, and managing competitive risks in sectors critical to public welfare and industrial strategy. Below are four notable decisions that illustrate these trends.
Notable US case
DOJ reaches mid-litigation consent in UnitedHealth’s acquisition of Amedisys
Markets/structure
The DOJ alleged the deal would eliminate head-to-head competition between two of the three largest providers of home health services, UnitedHealth and Amedisys, in hundreds of local markets.
Summary and observations
The DOJ alleged that the merger of two of the three largest home health services providers would result in a significant increase in concentration in hundreds of localized markets where UnitedHealth or Amedisys treat home health patients. Additionally, the DOJ alleged that the merger would substantially lessen competition in employment prospects, compensation, and other employment terms for home health and hospice nurses.
The settlement requires the divestiture of 164 home health and hospice locations across 19 states (which accounted for approximately $528 million in annual revenue). The settlement also required Amedisys to pay a $1.1 million civil penalty to settle the DOJ’s allegation that it falsely certified that it had provided true, correct, and complete responses under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act during the DOJ’s merger review, when it produced a large volume of documents after that certification.
The DOJ touted the settlement as the largest divestiture of outpatient healthcare services to resolve a merger challenge.
Notable EU and UK cases
EC clears Prosus’s acquisition of JET with conditions
Markets/structure
Prosus/Naspers sought to acquire Just Eat Takeaway (JET), which operates online food-delivery platforms.
Summary and observations
The European Commission approved the transaction subject to commitments aimed at preventing conflicts of interest and overlap between Prosus’s holdings in competing delivery platforms. The remedies included a partial divestment and limits on Prosus’s ability to influence strategic decisions in rival companies, notably Delivery Hero.
The case illustrates the Commission’s growing scrutiny of cross-ownership structures in the digital platform economy and its effort to safeguard competitive independence among major European delivery operators. It has been widely discussed in competition law circles as a precedent for future investment-based control cases.
CMA clears Boeing’s acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems
Markets/structure
The CMA granted Phase I clearance on August 8, 2025, with the full decision published later in the month. The review focused on Boeing’s acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems’s segments, specifically upstream components and supply chain for aircraft structures.
Summary and observations
The CMA cleared the transaction following an assessment of potential supply-chain effects in the UK aerospace sector. The authority examined whether the acquisition might restrict competitors’ access to key structural components but concluded that sufficient alternative suppliers remained active in the market. The decision also acknowledged the deal’s relevance to the UK’s industrial strategy and the importance of resilient domestic supply chains.
The case is notable for showing how the CMA balances competition concerns with broader national policy considerations in strategically significant industries.
CMA approves merger of EVRi and DHL eCommerce UK
Markets/structure
The transaction involved parcel delivery and e-commerce logistics, combining DHL eCommerce UK with EVRi and granting DHL a structural and minority stake in EVRi.
Summary and observations
The CMA granted Phase I clearance on September 4, 2025, despite vertical and cooperative elements within the transaction. The deal combined EVRi’s domestic delivery network with DHL’s UK e-commerce operations, alongside a reciprocal minority shareholding. The authority investigated whether the structure could facilitate coordination or reduce competitive pressure in parcel logistics but found that strong competition would continue to constrain the merged entity.
The decision highlights the CMA’s pragmatic approach to joint-venture and partnership models in logistics and its recognition of evolving collaboration structures driven by e-commerce growth.