The Council's Working Party on Competition is scheduled to meet on 8 September 2026 at 10:00 in Brussels (Justus Lipsius Building, format 1+2) to discuss State aid, antitrust, and foreign subsidies matters. The agenda, published in a notice of meeting dated 30 July 2026, includes presentations by the European Commission on the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER), the Regional Aid Guidelines (RAGs), the review of the Merger Guidelines, the review of the Article 102 Guidelines, and updates on the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR). Member state delegates will exchange views and ask questions during the closed-door session.
The meeting will open with the adoption of the agenda and an outline of Irish Presidency priorities, provided by the Presidency. The Commission is then set to present on the GBER, a key instrument that exempts certain categories of State aid from prior notification requirements, and on the RAGs, which set the framework for regional investment aid. Both presentations will be followed by exchanges of views, allowing member states to raise concerns about scope, thresholds, and alignment with broader industrial policy goals.
In the afternoon, the Commission will present on the ongoing review of the Merger Guidelines and the Article 102 Guidelines, with Q&A sessions. These reviews are part of the Commission's broader effort to update competition policy tools to address new market realities, including digitalisation and global supply chains. The final substantive item is a presentation and Q&A on updates to the Foreign Subsidies Regulation, which aims to address distortions caused by subsidies granted by non-EU countries to companies operating in the EU.
The meeting is a preparatory step in the Council's legislative and policy work, with no formal decisions expected. The Working Party's discussions will feed into the Council's Competition configuration, which is chaired by the rotating Presidency (currently Ireland). The outcomes of these exchanges may inform future Commission proposals or Council conclusions, though no timeline has been announced.
Stakeholders likely to be affected include businesses operating in the EU, particularly those receiving regional aid or involved in mergers and acquisitions, as well as national competition authorities and legal practitioners. The GBER and RAGs revisions could alter the administrative burden for companies seeking State aid, while the merger and Article 102 guideline reviews may affect how competition cases are assessed. The FSR updates could impose new compliance requirements on companies receiving foreign subsidies.
No prior coverage of this specific meeting was found in the available record, making this the first public notice of the agenda. The meeting is expected to be technical, with member state delegates focusing on the practical implications of the Commission's proposals.