Via Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer: “As global economies slowly emerge from recession, we see regulators promoting competitive markets, and asserting consumer protection concerns, in an increasingly wide range of sectors. More than ever before, authorities are using antitrust and other regulatory powers for broader political and economic purposes – to promote competition and restrain inflation as part of wider growth agendas, to protect consumers or to achieve some form of structural change in a market.  In the current environment, the need for strategic risk management could not be more important to businesses that may be in the regulatory spotlight, either because of features of their market, commercial activities that are newly subject to scrutiny or the impact of regulatory intervention in growth plans. In our fourth annual review of trends in global antitrust enforcement, we have identified some key issues to watch out for, and steps to take, to prepare for the year ahead. A number of important themes emerge.”