EU Antitrust Chief Attacks Push to Loosen Merger Rules

The European Union’s antitrust chief has rebuffed calls for watered-down merger rules to help the bloc create its own business giants to rival US and Chinese behemoths.

“It is not necessary to relax them,” Teresa Ribera told Bloomberg. “If anyone thought that this call for the creation of champions was an argument to deregulate, dismantle or reduce safeguards, they are mistaken. That cannot be and it makes no sense; we would be killing the goose that lays the golden eggs,” she said.

“It is necessary to interpret reality — and if relaxing means tolerating abuses, the answer is ...