Conferences and Speeches
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The New Portuguese Competition Law
Conference organised by the Autoridade da Concorrência, Lisbon, Joaquín Almunia
13 July 2012
"The new law can make a real difference [...] because it improves Portugal’s competition regime across the board and brings it more in line with the EU regime.
In certain respects, in fact, the new Portuguese law goes beyond European law.
For example, it provides for individual sanctions on managers and staff that were aware of infringements and did not put an end to them, whereas at European level we can only sanction companies."
Read full speech >
Antitrust
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Commission sends statement of objections to suspected participants in North Sea shrimps cartel
13 July 2012
The Commission has informed four traders of North Sea shrimps of its preliminary view that they may have infringed EU antitrust rules that prohibit cartels.
The Commission has concerns that these companies may have colluded to fix prices and allocate markets and customers at least in the Netherlands, Germany, France and Belgium.
Read more >
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Commission market tests improved commitments on Reuters Instrument Codes
12 July 2012
The Commission is consulting interested third parties on a new proposal from Thomson Reuters to address concerns that its licensing practices in relation to Reuters Instrument Codes (RICs) may be in breach of EU antitrust rules.
RICs are codes that identify securities, used by financial institutions to retrieve data from Thomson Reuters' real-time datafeeds.
Thomson Reuters has substantially revised its commitments proposal to address shortcomings identified by market players in a first market test.
In particular, the new proposal extends the scope of the license and reduces the fee.
Read more >
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Commission confirms unannounced inspections in the sector of plastic pipes and plastic pipe fittings used in the sewage industry
11 July 2012
On 26 June 2012, Commission officials undertook unannounced inspections in several Member States at the premises of companies active in the sector of plastic pipes and plastic pipe fittings used in the sewage industry.
The Commission has concerns that the companies concerned may have violated Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
Read more >
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Commission market tests commitments proposed by CEZ concerning Czech electricity market
10 July 2012
The Commission is inviting comments from interested parties on commitments offered by the Czech electricity incumbent CEZ to address concerns that it may have hindered the entry of competitors onto the Czech electricity markets, in particular through excessive capacity reservations.
To alleviate these concerns, CEZ offered to divest coal-fired generation capacity in the Czech Republic.
Read more >
Mergers
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Commission approves acquisition of controlling stake in Japanese electronic components producer NEC Tokin by capacitor producer Kemet of the US
12 July 2012
The Commission has cleared the proposed acquisition of joint control over the Japanese electronic devices and components producer NEC Tokin by IT products and services provider NEC Corporation of Japan and capacitor producer Kemet of the US.
NEC Tokin is currently solely owned by NEC Corporation.
Capacitors are electromechanical components used to store and regulate electrical energy and current flow, for instance in laptop computers, mobile phones or flat screen television sets.
The Commission found that the proposed transaction would not raise competition concerns because of the limited increase in market share resulting from the acquisition and the presence of sufficient competitors on the markets concerned.
Read more >
State aid
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Commission consults on reform of procedures
13 July 2012
In the context of the State Aid Modernisation initiative, the Commission is inviting comments on the application of procedural rules in state aid investigations.
The Commission proposes to clarify and simplify the current regime, laid down in a Council Regulation, in particular with regard to the handling of complaints and the collection of market information.
Read more >
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Commission authorises extension of funding by France and Italy of experimental rolling motorway service in Alps
11 July 2012
The Commission has approved an extension of public funding by France and Italy for an experimental rolling motorway service in the Alps on the Dijon-Modane-Turin route.
The extension will allow Italy and France to finalise the concession procedure for this innovative rail freight service which was launched in 2009 by means of a public call for European candidates.
The two states have given their commitment that the effective concession for the service will be awarded by no later than 30 June 2013.
Read more >
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Commission opens in-depth investigation into regional aid for Porsche in Leipzig
11 July 2012
The Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to examine whether regional aid in favour of German car maker Porsche in Saxony is in line with EU state aid rules.
Given the high market shares of Volkswagen-Porsche and the capacity increase brought about by the investment the Commission has to carry out an in-depth assessment of the aid.
The Commission will check whether the aid is necessary and proportionate to provide an incentive for the investment and whether its contribution to regional development outweighs the distortion of competition.
Read more >
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Commission temporarily approves rescue aid for German shipbuilding company P+S Werften
11 July 2012
The Commission authorised a state guarantee backing a rescue loan of €152.4 million for the German shipbuilder P+S Werften in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
The aid is in line with EU rules on rescue aid because it is limited in time and scope.
The Commission approved the measure temporarily, until it can take a position on the restructuring plan to be submitted by Germany within maximum six months.
Read more >
Court
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Case C-138/11 Compass-Datenbank
12 July 2012
The Court of Justice ruled on a preliminary question referred by an Austrian court, on the concept of "undertaking" in the context of EU antitrust rules.
The Court found that a public authority's activity of storing data that companies are legally obliged to report in a database and permitting interested persons access to that data does not constitute an economic activity.
In the course of that activity, that public authority is therefore not to be regarded as an undertaking within the meaning of Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU.
Read full judgment >
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C-181/11 P Cetarsa/Commission (raw tobacco cartel Spain)
12 July 2012
The Court of Justice ruled on an appeal against a General Court (GC) ruling of February 2011, that had upheld a Commission decision of 2004 finding that Cetarsa and other companies had operating a cartel in the Spanish raw tobacco sector, but had slightly reduced Cetarsa's fine.
Both Cetarsa and the Commission appealed the GC ruling.
The Court of Justice now rejected both appeals and confirmed the GC ruling in its entirety.
Read full ECJ ruling >
Read full GC ruling under appeal >
Read more about initial Commission decison >
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Case T-304/08 Smurfit Kappa Group / Commission
10 July 2012
The General Court (GC) ruled on an appeal against a Commission decision of 2008 that had authorised, after a preliminary review, regional investment aid in favour of the German company Propapier.
The GC annulled the Commission decision, considering that the Commission should have opened an in-depth investigation before taking a decision on the compatibility of the aid.
Read full judgment >
Read more about initial Commission decision >
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Case T-520/09 TF1 and Others / Commission
10 July 2012
The General Court (GC) ruled on an appeal against a Commission decision of 2009 authorising a French state aid aimed at compensating France Télévisions for public service obligations carried out in 2009.
The GC dismissed the appeal and confirmed the Commission's decision.
Read full judgment >
Read more about initial Commission decision >
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