Competition weekly news summary
16 October 2015

Conferences/Speeches

  • Speech by Commissioner Vestager 'The level playing field is green'
    Bruegel, Brussels
    12 October 2015
    "Building the green economy of the future requires innovation and fresh ideas. [..] There is no doubt in my mind that keeping markets open and contestable contribute to create the best conditions for this to happen. We should trust the power of vibrant and well-regulated markets."
    Read full speech >
  • Speech by Commissioner Vestager 'The values of competition policy'
    CEPS Corporate breakfast "one year in office", Brussels
    13 October 2015
    "The European Union is based on the Rule of Law, and competition policy is implemented within our Union of Law. When we look at individual cases and the Commission takes decisions on them, competition enforcement follows its own principles and rules – and they are cast in stone: It must be impartial; It must be blind to the nationality of the companies we investigate; and It must be impeccable [..] on the facts, on process and on the law."
    Read full speech >

Mergers

  • Commission clears Intel's acquisition of Altera
    14 October 2015
    The European Commission has cleared the proposed acquisition of electronic component supplier Altera by Intel. The Commission concluded that the merged entity would continue to face effective competition in Europe. The companies supply different types of semiconductors. Semiconductors are electronic components that can be found in virtually every electronic device today - from base stations, mobile phones, computers, domestic appliances and cars, to medical equipment, identification systems, large-scale industry electronics and aerospace equipment.
    Read more >
  • Commission signs best practices cooperation framework with China
    15 October 2015, Beijing, China
    The European Commission's competition department and the Ministry of Commerce (Mofcom) of the People's Republic of China have signed today in Beijing best practices for cooperation on reviewing mergers. Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, commented: "A growing number of international transactions need to get the green light in several jurisdictions. The cooperation framework agreed today between the Commission and China's merger review authority Mofcom reflects our commitment to a stronger cooperation between our two competition authorities."
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Court

  • Preliminare ruling of the Court of Justice in the joint cases Juan Miguel Iglesias Gutiérrez (C‑352/14), Elisabet Rion Bea (C‑353/14) vs. Bankia SA
    15
    October 2015
    The EU Court of Justice ruled on questions referred by a Spanish court regarding the interpretation of a Commission decision of 2012 (C(2012) 8764) that had found state aid granted to the Spanish bank BFA in line with EU state aid rules subject to certain conditions. One of the conditions was that severance payments made in the context of BFA's restructuring should approach the legal minimum. Two BFA employees whose contracts had been terminated during the restructuring process and who had received compensation according to an agreement between BFA and the trade unions, brought an action before a Spanish court seeking higher compensation. The EU Court of Justice held that the Commission's 2012 decision and EU state aid rules in general do not preclude the application of Spanish legislation on the basis of which compensation higher than the legal minimum could be paid to the two employees.
    See Court of Justice case page>


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Published by the Competition Directorate General of the European Commission. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Commission. Neither the Commission nor any person acting on its behalf is responsible for the use which might be made of the above information.

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