Competition proceedings, European Court of Justice, National competition authorities (NCAs), Ne bis in idem

(University of Göttingen, Germany)/ /Leave a comment

In its judgment of 25 February 2021 in the case of Slovak Telekom, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) reaffirmed its jurisprudence on the ne bis in idem rule and clarifies its relationship and functioning with art. 11 (6) of Regulation 1/2003. Judging from the facts as they are presented in the ECJ’s ruling, the…

Australia, Competition policy, Enforcement

, , (K&L Gates)/ /Leave a comment

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Chair, Rod Sims, has announced the ACCC’s 2021 compliance and enforcement policy and priorities. The focus of the ACCC’s 2021 priorities is reflective of its: continuation of its unfinished “to do” list in a COVID-19 interrupted 2020 enduring/ongoing priorities, such as the prosecution of cartel conduct (with two to…

European Union, Four-to-three Merger, Merger control, Telecommunications

(White & Case)/ /Leave a comment

The General Court’s judgment in CK Telecoms[1] annulling the European Commission’s (“Commission”) 2016 prohibition decision of the UK mobile merger raised quite a bit of interest beyond the Brussels competition bar, particularly with European telecom companies, who have long argued that the Commission has taken a far too strict stance on in-country market consolidation. Mobile…

Aviation, COVID-19, Montenegro, State aid

(Doklestic Repic & Gajin)/ /1 Comment

Amidst a never-ending stream of news related to COVID-19, it went somewhat under the radar that another European flag carrier airline has been grounded – Montenegro Airlines. The halt of operations of the airline up came as a result of the inability of the government to further subsidize the loss-making carrier, due to state aid…

Competition Law 2020, United Kingdom

(Pinsent Masons LLP)/ /Leave a comment

The legal impact of exiting the European Union after 47 years of membership, a growing focus on digital markets, and increasingly robust enforcement by the Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”) are among the defining developments in UK competition law and policy during 2020.  In addition, as with many jurisdictions worldwide, the Covid-19 pandemic has had…

Bid-rigging, European Court of Justice, European Union, Private enforcement

(Taylor Wessing)/ /Leave a comment

On 14 January 2021, the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) confirmed that participation in a bid-rigging cartel ends when the basic characteristics of the contract between the “successful” tenderer and the contracting (public) authority are determined (C-450/19 – Kilpailu- ja kuluttajavirasto, ECLI:EU:C:2021:10). This has a major impact on the limitation period, which…

Digital markets, Netherlands, Platforms

(Loyens & Loeff, Netherlands) and , (Loyens & Loeff)/ /Leave a comment

On 2 February 2021, the Netherlands Authority for Competition & Markets (the ‘ACM’) published a study on sponsored internet ranking and its effects on competition and consumer welfare. Sponsored ranking means that suppliers pay extra commission for a better ranking in the search results. Many platforms use paid search engines. The ACM has investigated whether…

Aviation, COVID-19, European Union, France, General Court of the European Union, State aid, Sweden

(Gleiss Lutz)/ /1 Comment

It is the same old story which we have heard many times before: Ryanair boss O’Leary is currently using strong words to complain about Corona subsidies granted to his competitors. His cursing is neither original nor surprising, but a variation on his favourite theme: Ryanair sees itself at a competitive disadvantage with other players that…

Algorithms, China, Digital markets, Digital Markets Act, Digital Services Act, Market definition, Online platforms

(University of Macau)/ /Leave a comment

On 7 February 2021, the Anti-Monopoly Commission of the State Council issued the Anti-Monopoly Guidelines for the Platform Economy (the Guidelines) clarifying the application of the Anti-Monopoly Law (AML) to the potential anti-competitive practices of the online platforms. The issuance of the Guidelines sends a clear message to the online platforms that antitrust enforcement in…

Competition Law 2020, Türkiye

, (ACTECON)/ /Leave a comment

The year 2020 will probably remain in everybody’s mind as a year of COVID, lock-downs, masks, and businesses trying to survive by adjusting their business models to the new reality. For the competition law professionals, this year would also be associated with various competition law developments in an attempt to simplify the life of various…