Profile details
About Álvaro Iza
Álvaro heads our antitrust, competition and trade (ACT) practice in Spain.
He specialises in merger control before the European Commission and the Spanish competition authority, behavioural matters and state aid. He advises national and multinational clients on a diverse range of antitrust matters, from cartel infringement proceedings and dawn raids to merger control approvals.
Clients include Repsol, AB InBev, Amadeus IT Group, Boehringer Ingelheim, Mediapro, LafargeHolcim, Balearia, Viesgo (previously E.ON) and Essity.
He has worked in our London and Brussels ACT practices.
Álvaro speaks Spanish, English and French.
Recent work
- Representing Mediapro during: the antitrust investigation pursued by the CNMC (the Spanish competition authority) under article 102 of the EU treaty and its Spanish equivalent relating to the distribution conditions for the premium pay TV channels beIN Sports Champions and beIN sports La Liga; on several CNMC antitrust proceedings regarding football broadcasting rights and appeals before the Audiencia Nacional and Spanish Supreme Court against the aforesaid authority's decisions on football broadcasting rights; and the sanctioning proceedings brought by CNMC for an alleged infringement of article 101 of the EU treaty (and its Spanish equivalent) relating to an agreement with Telefónica to commercialise Spanish football broadcasting rights.
- Representing Essity during the CNMC's cartel investigation into the adult nappy/diaper sector.
- Representing LafargeHolcim during the CNMC's cartel investigations into: the cement, ready-mix concrete and related products sector; and the Asturias ready-mix concrete sector.
- Advising Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) on the multijurisdictional merger control aspects of the business swap with Sanofi, with BI acquiring Sanofi's global animal health business (Merial) in exchange for the sale of its global consumer healthcare business (excluding China).
- Advising Repsol on the CNMC's investigation into the retail distribution agreements with petrol stations.
- Advising HOCHTIEF on its acquisition (alongside ACS and Atlantia) of toll-road operator Abertis. Read more about the deal in our case study.
Qualifications
Education
- Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain (law)
- University Carlos III de Madrid, Spain (master's degree in EU and competition law)
Professional memberships
- Admitted to the Madrid Bar (1995)