Competition weekly news summary
22 May 2015


Antitrust

  • Commission accepts commitments by SkyTeam members Air France/KLM, Alitalia and Delta on three transatlantic routes
    12 May 2015
    The Commission has rendered legally binding commitments offered by Air France/KLM, Alitalia and Delta, members of the SkyTeam airline alliance, to lower barriers to entry or expansion on three transatlantic routes. The Commission had concerns that the cooperation between these airlines may harm competition for passengers on the Amsterdam-New York and Rome-New York routes and for premium passengers on the Paris-New York route, in breach of EU antitrust rules. After market testing commitments offered by Air France/KLM, Alitalia and Delta, the Commission is satisfied that in their final form they address thtese concerns.
    Read more >

Competition

  • Commission approves acquisition of TSB by Sabadell; major step in restructuring plan of Lloyds Banking Group
    18 May 2015
    The Commission has approved the acquisition of TSB Banking Group, a British banking services provider, by Banco de Sabadell of Spain. TSB is a spin-off of Lloyds Banking Group. With the divestment of TSB, Lloyds has completed a key measure of its restructuring plan aimed at limiting distortions of competition created by the state aid Lloyds received during the financial crisis. Having the backing of a larger banking group like Sabadell will enhance TSB's ability to compete and stimulate competition in the UK retail banking markets, to the benefit of consumers.
    Read more >

Mergers

  • Commission clears acquisition of Jazztel by Orange, subject to conditions
    19 May 2015
    The Commission has approved the proposed acquisition of Jazztel, a telecommunications company registered in the UK but mainly active in Spain, by rival Orange of France. The approval is conditional upon the implementation of a number of commitments that will ensure effective competition on the fixed internet access services markets after the takeover. The Commission had concerns that the takeover, as initially notified, could have led to higher prices of fixed internet access services for Spanish consumers. To address these concerns, Orange submitted commitments to ensure that a new competitor can enter the retail markets involving fixed internet access services. The commitments remove the Commission's concerns.
    Read more >
    Factsheet >
  • Commission clears acquisition of sole control over Eurostar by SNCF, subject to conditions
    13 May 2015
    The Commission has approved the planned acquisition of sole control over Eurostar by the French rail operator SNCF MOBILITES. The decision is conditional on compliance with commitments designed to facilitate the entry of new rail operators onto the London-Brussels and London-Paris routes, on which Eurostar is currently the only operator. The Commission was concerned that the deal as originally notified might hinder the entry of competitors into these markets. The commitments offered by SNCF, Eurostar and SNCB, who holds a minority share in Eurostar, address these concerns.
    Read more >

Court

  • T-456/10 Animal feed phosphates cartel
    20 May 2015
    The General Court ruled on an action by the Roullier group against a Commission decision of 2010 fining the company for its participation in a cartel on the market for animal feed phosphates. The Court dismissed the action and upheld the Commission's findings. This is the first time that the Court has ruled on the relationship between the settlement and the standard cartel procedure.
    Read Court's press release >
    Read full judgment >
    Read more about Commission's 2010 decision >
  • Case T-397/12 Habidite state aid case
    19 May 2015
    The General Court ruled on an action by the Spanish province Vizkaya against a Commission decision of 2009. The 2009 decision had found that two draft contracts between Vizkaya and the Habidite group related to Habidite's project for a new construction modules factory in the village of Alonsotegi involved incompatible state aid. Vizkaya brought an action aggainst this decision. The Court has now dismissed the action and confirmed the Commission's findings.
    Read full judgment >
    Read more about Commission's 2009 decision >
  • Case T-511/09 Restructuring aid for Austrian Airlines
    13 May 2015
    The General Court ruled on an action by the Austrian air transport company Nikki Luftfahrt against a Commission decision of 2009 authorsing restructuring aid in favour of Austrian Airlines. The Court dismissed the action and confirmed the Commission's findings.
    Read full judgment >
    Read more about Commission's 2009 decision >
  • T-162-10 Lufthansa / Austrian Airlines merger
    13 May 2015
    The General Court ruled on an action by the Austrian air transport company Nikki Luftfahrt against a Commission decision of 2009 clearing the acquisition of Austrian Airlines by Lufthansa. The Court dismissed the action and confirmed the Commission's findings.
    Read full judgment >
    Read more about Commission's 2009 decision >
  • T-623/13 Request for access to competition files
    12 May 2015
    The General Court ruled on an action brought by Unión de Almacenistas de Hierros de España against the Commission's refusal of its request for access to certain documents exchanged between the Commission and the Spanish competition authority regarding two Spanish investigations. The Court dismissed the action and confirmed the Commission's findings. The Court held in particular that EU rules on public access to documents prevent the disclosure of documents exchanged between a competition authority and the Commission in the framework of the European Competition Network consultation process. This is because there is a general presumption that their disclosure would harm the commercial interests of third parties and the objectives of national competition authorities investigation activities.
    Read full judgment >

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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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