2023 was the year in which fines in the ongoing “hub & spoke war” reached the staggering amount of € 733 million. An accomplishment haunted by the rulings from the Constitutional Court finding that the Competition Authority have been conducting dawn raids (including in the hub & spoke cases) illegally. This was also the year…

This overview covers the main developments in competition law and policy in Portugal in the course of 2022.   Legislative and institutional developments The  Portuguese Competition Act and the bylaws of the Portuguese Competition Authority (PCA) were subject to significant amendments in 2022. Those amendments were approved by Law no. 17/2022, of 17 August, which…

On 16 September 2022 came into force the amendments to the Portuguese Competition Act introduced by Law no. 17/2022, of 17 August which also modifies the bylaws of the Competition Authority (PCA). This is the third amendment to the 2012 Competition Act, and the first amendment to the PCA bylaws. Law no. 17/2022 transposes the…

This overview covers the main developments in competition law and policy in Portugal in the course of 2021.   Legislative and institutional developments The Competition Act was supplemented with a new provision rendering illegal most-favoured-nation clauses benefiting hotel booking electronic platforms. Article 9 (which is similar to Article 101 of the Treaty) now prohibits agreements…

On 20 September 2021, the Portuguese Competition Court approved a settlement between Ius Omnibus, a non-profit consumer protection association, and the National Association of Land Surveyors (ANT), in the context of a class action filed by Ius Omnibus intended to obtain compensation for the damages suffered by consumers as a result of ANT’s allegedly anticompetitive…

This overview covers the main developments in competition law in Portugal in the course of 2020. This year is inevitably marked by the outburst of the Covid-19 pandemic, which seriously affected the world economy generating enormous costs for companies in most sectors. This situation was reflected in an unprecedented wave of State aid granted by…