The word "European champion" will likely be the new buzzword of corporate executives and politicians in the EU, as the number of inter-EU mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deals in 2017 climbed to its highest since 2008.
While the concept will surely touch some free-competition nerves, it might actually be the EU's best defence against the wave of foreign acquisitions, especially those from China.
Ever since Emmanuel Macron took the French presidency in 2017, the concept of consoli...
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Matthew is EUobserver's Opinion Editor. He joined EUobserver in June 2018. Previously he worked as a reporter for The Guardian in London, and as editor for AFP in Paris and DPA in Berlin.