The UK’s withdrawal from the European Union put European competition policy in a somewhat awkward state. The schism left EU and UK competition law as geographical neighbours and almost identical twins in both legal form and substance, yet worlds apart in terms of their ability to coordinate. Prior to Brexit, and as the competition authority…
Introduction In April 2024, the President of the Office of Competition and Consumers Protection (the “PCA”) introduced new guidelines for setting fines in antitrust cases (the “Guidelines”). The Guidelines are the only document of this type issued by the PCA. Other fields of actions of the PCA, e.g. violations of consumer law, do not have…
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…
On 29 June 2022, Ireland enacted major reforms to its Competition Act. These changes will impact on all sectors across the Irish economy, with potential target industries such as Life Sciences, Energy, Technology and Consumer Goods facing increased scrutiny – particularly as Ireland is a key HQ location for EMEA operations. While the reforms belatedly…
On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded the territory of Ukraine and triggered the largest European war since 1945. The war has led to unprecedented loss of human lives and the biggest refugee crisis since World Word II, according to the UNHCR. At this stage, the economic impact of the war is difficult to predict. Some…
On 9 February 2022, the General Court handed down its judgment in the offbeat case Sped-Pro (T-791/19). Notably, the General Court ruled that before rejecting a complaint on the grounds that the competition authority of a Member State is “better placed”, the Commission must examine, in a concrete and precise manner, the indications provided by…
Major amendments to competition legislation are expected to add more bite to the bark of Sweden’s antitrust watchdog. On 1 March 2021, the Swedish Competition Authority (SCA) gained a number of new powers and introduced some related changes to its routines. Specific to Sweden but with broader resonance in real terms, this is a good…
The ECN+ Directive requires all EU Member States to confer upon their national competition authorities certain enforcement and sanctioning powers. The Danish implementing act, no. L 116 (link only available in Danish), was passed by the Danish Parliament on 9 February 2021. Although the ECN+ Directive was adopted on 11 December 2018, and therefore well-known…
A welcome post by the new Deputy Editor Introduction and summary In the recent Anesco case, the ECJ held the preliminary request of the Spanish National Commission on Markets and Competition (CNMC) inadmissible due to the fact that the CNMC was not a ‘court or tribunal’ for the purpose of Article 267 TFEU. The ECJ…
