Digital competition, Digital economy, Digital markets, Digital Markets Act, European Commission, European Union, Ex ante regulation, Regulation

(University Carlos III of Madrid, Spain)/ /Leave a comment

Last 9 December, the European Commission issued its first draft implementing regulation for the DMA setting out the practical details surrounding the procedures around the gatekeeper’s designation (see the overview of the draft here). The feedback period surrounding the draft finished on 9 January 2023. On 14 April, the European Commission made public the first…

Anticompetitive agreements, European Commission, European Court of Justice, European Union, Information exchange, Judicial review, Restriction by object, Rule of Law

, (Cuatrecasas)/ /Leave a comment

On January 12th 2023, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) issued its long-awaited judgment in C‑883/19 P HSBC v Commission setting aside the judgment of the General Court (GC) but confirming the European Commission’s finding that HSBC had participated in a cartel in the market for Euro Interest Rate Derivatives (EIRD). The judgment clarifies the procedural safeguards that…

Consumer welfare, Economics, Financial markets, National competition authorities (NCAs), Switzerland

, (KU Leuven)/ /Leave a comment

The collapse of Crédit Suisse and its subsequent takeover by UBS has produced far-reaching effects, affecting the global banking landscape. Financial stability considerations and market turmoil surrounding the takeover have been widely discussed in the media. Other perspectives, however, have received relatively little attention. In this blog post, we consider a number of competition law…

Competition Law 2022, Germany

(Heinz & Zagrosek Partner mbB, Germany)/ /Leave a comment

The following is a selection of some important developments in German competition law and policy in 2022.  It covers cases under the new rules for digital companies, abuse of dominance, merger control, antitrust (cartels, horizontal cooperation and vertical cases) and damages litigation.   Special rules for the digital companies – Section 19a ARC The Federal…

Digital competition, Digital economy, Digital markets, Digital Markets Act, Germany, New Competition Tool, Sector inquiries

(University Carlos III of Madrid, Spain)/ /Leave a comment

The German Federal Ministry for Economics and Climate Action published the draft for the 11th amendment of the Competition Act (GWB) on the 6th of April, following the same path towards the DMA’s effective implementation under the powers conferred upon NCAs pursuant to Article 38(7). Up until now, The Netherlands has also issued the draft…

Competition Law 2022, United Kingdom

, (Pinsent Masons LLP)/ /Leave a comment

Competition law and policy developments in the UK have continued apace throughout 2022, ushering in several important changes to competition rules; further law reform proposals; a substantial caseload for UK’s competition and sector authorities, as well as under the national security and investment screening regime, building on last year’s developments; and a new UK subsidy…

European Union, Industrial policy, Recovery plan, State aid, Temporary Crisis Framework

(University of Glasgow)/ /Leave a comment

Introduction State aid rules have existed since the Rome Treaty and have a negative integration logic: Member States should refrain from distorting competition by helping their own undertakings (an in-depth analysis on state aid, in Hancher, Ottervanger and Slot, see here). These rules naturally trigger tension between what Member States can do with their money…

Digital Markets Act, Governance, Privacy, Procedures

(University Carlos III of Madrid, Spain)/ /Leave a comment

On 23 March 2023, the European Commission issued its Decision to set up the High-Level Group for the Digital Markets Act (the ‘Decision’). In a previous blog post, the discussion of the DMA and the NCAs intervention in its monitoring and compliance was addressed (see here). Even though the first draft of the DMA issued…

Competition Law 2022, Greece

(WilmerHale)/ /Leave a comment

2022 saw several important competition law developments in Greece, both in the legislative sphere and at the level of the national regulator. The Greek Competition Commission (“HCC”)  remained very busy, continuing its work from the previous years and launching various interesting new initiatives.   Modernisation of Greek competition law: Amended Greek Competition Act In January…

Cartels, Damages, United Kingdom

(IE Law School)/ /Leave a comment

On February 7, the Competition Appeals Tribunal (CAT) delivered its first judgment on the merits of the claims for damages concerning the cartel of truck manufacturers ([2023] CAT 6). The judgment resolves the first two processes against DAF Trucks NV that had been initiated by Royal Mail and British Telecom (1284/5/7/18 (T) and 1290/5/7/18 (T))…