Competition lawyers saw a record number of M&A deals reported for review to the European Commission (EC) last year and the pace looks set to continue. The number of deals rejected or amended after EC scrutiny also jumped sharply.

Latest figures released by media and information group Thomson Reuters show that the EC was notified of 414 deals for general review in 2018, compared with 380 in 2017. This figure is a record high and has not been above 400 since 2007.