On 28 May 2026, following a Phase I investigation, the European Commission unconditionally approved the merger of Danish dairy cooperative Arla and the German and Dutch dairy cooperatives DMK and DOC. The transaction creates the largest dairy cooperative in Europe.
The Commission investigated potential theories of harm relating to horizontal, vertical, and conglomerate effects in a large number of dairy markets. Its decision draws upon economic submissions relating to market shares, raw milk procurement, and private label tender opportunities.
A pan-European RBB team, led by Daniel Gore and Annabelle Jochem, supported by Arvydas Vidžiūnas, Lachlan Lindsay, Jooseppi Kalliokoski, Johannes Mattke, Domenico Pasculli, Chiara Latour, and Peer von Tippelskirch advised the Parties' legal advisors Norton Rose Fulbright and Gleiss Lutz throughout the Commission's investigation.
