Conferences and Speeches
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Co-operating to Compete: The New Agriculture Antitrust Guidelines
Conference on Antitrust Guidelines in the Agricultural Sector, Brussels, Alexander Italianer
4 March 2015
"We have a long-term solution to improve competitiveness and farmers' revenues. A solution not based on cartelisation, but on integration."
Read full speech >
Competition
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First competition seminar for journalists
2 March 2015
On 2 and 3 March a group of 17 journalists coming from seven different Member States participated in the first seminar on competition for journalists, organised by DG Competition.
They had the occasion to meet Commissioner Margrethe Vestager and Director General Alexander Italianer.
They could also hear directly from Senior DG Competition officials and a Commission spokesman about the enforcement work carried out by DG Competition, in particular in the areas of state aid, energy and digital markets.
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New ECN brief published
27 February 2015
The Europrean Competition Network (ECN), has published the first 2015 issue of the ECN Brief.
After a foreword by Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, this issue reports, among other news, on several advocacy initiatives by national competition authorities.
Read full ECN-Brief >
Mergers
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New merger brief published
2 March 2015
The first 2015 merger brief is available on the Commission's competition website.
After a foreword by DG Alexander Italianer, this issue analyses the Commission's decisions on four recent mergers: Facebook / What's App in the digital sector, Liberty Global / Ziggo in telecommunications markets, Huntsman / Rockwood in the chemical sector and finally Holcim / Lafarge regarding cement markets.
Read full 1/2015 merger brief >
Court
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Joined cases C 123/13 P and C 93/13 P chloroprene rubber cartel
5 March 2015
The EU Court of Justice ruled on appeals against a General Court judgment of December 2012 regarding a Commission decision of December 2007 fining several companies for their participation in a cartel on the markets for chloroprene rubber.
The GC had confirmed the Commission assessment of the cartel but had reduced the fine imposed on ENI from about €132 million to €106 million.
The Commission, Versalis and its parent company ENI appealed the judgment.
The EUCJ substantially confirmed the findings of the Commission's 2007 decision.
The EUCJ held, in particular, that a parent company's fine can be increased for recidivism also for past infringements by its fully owned subsidiaries, even when the decisions establishing those infringements have not been addressed to the parent company itself.
The EUCJ also confirmed the reduction of ENI's fine.
Read full EUCJ judgment >
Read full GC judgment under appeal >
Read more about Commission's 2007 decision >
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C-667/13 state aid to Banco Privado Portugues
5 March 2015
The EU Court of Justice ruled on preliminary questions referred by a Portuguese Court regarding a Commission decision of 2010 ordering Portugal to recover incompatible state aid from Banco Privado Portugues.
The EUCJ entirely confirmed the Commission's findings.
Read full judgment >
Read more about Commission's 2010 decision >
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