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The Commission Communication on Ten Years of Antitrust Enforcement Under Regulation 1/2003 – Prospective Priorities and Challenges

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The Consistent Application of EU Competition Law

Part of the book series: Studies in European Economic Law and Regulation ((SEELR,volume 9))

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Abstract

In 2014, the European Commission issued a Communication, which takes stock of the developments achieved during the past 10 years of competition law enforcement under Regulation 1/2003. The Communication also sets the scene for an interesting discussion on further improvements in both the EU and domestic arenas that are needed for establishing a genuine common enforcement area in Europe. This contribution discusses to what extent the proliferation of competition law enforcement in the past decade may be associated with the developments brought about by Regulation 1/2003. Furthermore, it assesses the validity of the mechanisms intended to foster consistent enforcement throughout the EU. In this respect, certain prospective challenges relating to enforcement priorities, and which stem from the Communication, are delved into, with a view to elucidating whether the Commission’s enforcement policy choices are indeed coherently established.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Communication from the Commission – Ten Years of Antitrust Enforcement under Regulation 1/2003: Achievements and Future Perspectives, COM(2014) 453, 09.07.2014 (hereinafter ‘the 2014 COM’).

  2. 2.

    Commission Staff Working Document SWD (2014) 230 – Ten Years of Antitrust Enforcement under Regulation 1/2003, SWD(2014) 230/2, 09.07.2014 and Commission Staff Working Document SWD (2014) 231 – Enhancing competition enforcement by the Member States’ competition authorities: institutional and procedural issues, SWD(2014) 231/2, 09.07.2014.

  3. 3.

    Council Regulation 1/2003 on the implementation of the rules on competition laid down in Articles 81 and 82 of the Treaty, OJ L 1, 04.01.2003.

  4. 4.

    2014 COM, [2].

  5. 5.

    COM(2014) 249 final, 6.5.2014, available at: http://ec.europa.eu/competition/publications/annual_report/2013/part1_en.pdf, accessed on 7 May 2015.

  6. 6.

    See also W. Wils, ‘Ten Years of Regulation 1/2003 – A Retrospective’, 4 Journal of Competition Law and Practice 4, 2013.

  7. 7.

    First Regulation 17/62 Implementing Articles 85 and 86 of the Treaty, OJ 013, 21.02.1962.

  8. 8.

    2014 COM, [3].

  9. 9.

    Ibid, [4].

  10. 10.

    Ibid, [5].

  11. 11.

    Ibid, [7].

  12. 12.

    See also J. Almunia, ‘Weaving Europe’s Single Competition Enforcement Area’, Speech/14/678 delivered at the European Competition Day, Rome, 10 October 2014, available at: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-14-678_en.htm, accessed on 12 May 2015.

  13. 13.

    See also A. Italianer, ‘Completing Convergence’, Speech delivered at the European Competition Day, Rome, 10 October 2014, available at: http://ec.europa.eu/competition/speeches/text/sp2014_05_en.pdf, accessed on 12 May 2015.

  14. 14.

    2014 COM, [11]–[14].

  15. 15.

    Ibid, [15]–[18].

  16. 16.

    Ibid, [19]–[21].

  17. 17.

    Ibid, [22].

  18. 18.

    Ibid, [8].

  19. 19.

    See Wils, supra n. 6.

  20. 20.

    OJ C 132/1, 28.04.1999.

  21. 21.

    See for example Almunia, supra n. 12.

  22. 22.

    See for example the keynote speech of G. Monti, ‘A Plea for ‘Extraterritorial’ Antitrust Enforcement by National Competition Authorities’, Fourth ACELG Annual Conference, Amsterdam, 14 November 2014, summarized by O. Brook, ‘Ten Years of Decentralized EU Competition Law Enforcement – Success or Failure?’, available at http://acelg.blogactiv.eu/2014/12/10/ten-years-of-decentralized-eu-competition-law-enforcement-success-or-failure-2/, accessed on 12 May 2015.

  23. 23.

    [11]–[12].

  24. 24.

    Regulation 330/2010 on the application of Article 101(3) of the TFEU to categories of vertical agreements and concerted practices, OJ L 102/1, 23.04.2010 and Regulation 2790/1999 on the application of Article 81(3) of the Treaty to categories of vertical agreements and concerted practices, OJ L 336, 29.12.1999.

  25. 25.

    Guidance on the Commission’s enforcement priorities in applying Article 82 of the EC Treaty to abusive exclusionary conduct by dominant undertakings, OJ C 45, 24.02.2009.

  26. 26.

    2014 COM, [14].

  27. 27.

    See for example case C-344/98 Masterfoods, ECLI:EU:C:2000:689 and case T-24/90 Automec v. Commission, ECLI:EU:T:1992:97.

  28. 28.

    See also C.S. Rusu, ‘Workload Division after the Si.mobil and easyJet Rulings of the General Court’, CLaSF Competition Law Review, Volume 12, Issue 1, forthcoming 2015.

  29. 29.

    For example, see Regulation 2659/2000 on the application of Article 81(3) of the Treaty to categories of research and development agreements, OJ L304, 05.12.2000, Regulation 2658/2000 on the application of Article 81(3) of the Treaty to categories of specialisation agreements, OJ L304, 05.12.2000, Regulation 2790/1999 on the application of Article 81(3) of the Treaty to categories of vertical agreements and concerted practices, supra n. 24.

  30. 30.

    T-24/90 Automec v. Commission, [23].

  31. 31.

    Rusu, supra n. 28.

  32. 32.

    See to this effect Wils, supra n. 6 and W. Wils, ‘Discretion and Prioritisation in Public Antitrust Enforcement, in Particular EU Antitrust Enforcement’, 34 World Competition 3, 2011.

  33. 33.

    2014 COM, [21].

  34. 34.

    See for example J. Almunia, ‘Some Highlights from EU Competition Enforcement’, Speech/14/608 delivered at the IBA 18th Annual Competition Conference, Florence, 19 September 2014, available at: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-14-608_en.htm, and J. Almunia, ‘Looking Back at Five Years of Competition Enforcement in the EU’, Speech/14/588 delivered at the Global Antitrust Enforcement Symposium, Washington, 10 September 2014, available at: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-14-588_en.htm, accessed on 14 May 2015.

  35. 35.

    2014 COM, [21].

  36. 36.

    See ‘Answers to the European Parliament: Questionnaire to the Commissioner-Designate Margrethe Vestager’, available at

    http://ec.europa.eu/commission/sites/cwt/files/commissioner_ep_hearings/vestager-reply_en.pdf, accessed on 16 May 2015.

  37. 37.

    See M. Vestager, ‘Statement on Antitrust Decisions Concerning Google’, STATEMENT/15/4785, Brussels, 15 April 2015, available at: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_STATEMENT-15-4785_en.htm?locale=en, accessed on 15 May 2015.

  38. 38.

    See also 2014 COM, [24].

  39. 39.

    Ibid, [23].

  40. 40.

    Italianer, supra n. 13.

  41. 41.

    See for example the ‘Report on Competition in Professional Services’ – Commission Communication COM(2004) 83 final, 09.02.2004, ‘Professional Services – scope for more reform’ Follow-up to the Report on Competition in Professional Services – Commission Communication COM(2005) 405 final, 05.09.2005, ‘Progress by Member States in reviewing and eliminating restrictions to Competition in the area of Professional Services’ – Commission Staff Working Document SEC(2005) 1064, 05.09.2005.

  42. 42.

    2014 COM, [24].

  43. 43.

    Ibid, [30]. See case C-453/99 Courage Ltd v. Crehan, ECLI:EU:C:2001:46.

  44. 44.

    Case C-375/09 Tele2Polska, ECLI:EU:C:2011:270.

  45. 45.

    See also K. Cseres, ‘The Impact of Regulation 1/2003 in the New Member States’, 6 Competition Law Review 2, 2010.

  46. 46.

    2014 COM, [31].

  47. 47.

    Ibid, [26] et seq.

  48. 48.

    See for example case T-201/11 Si.mobil v. Commission, ECLI:EU:T:2014:1096.

  49. 49.

    2014 COM, [26] and the following.

  50. 50.

    See http://ec.europa.eu/competition/ecn/ncas.pdf, accessed on 27 May 2015.

  51. 51.

    A. Italianer, ‘The Independence of National Competition Authorities’, Speech delivered at the Best Practice in Investigations Competition Conference, Vienna, 12 December 2014, available at: http://ec.europa.eu/competition/speeches/text/sp2014_08_en.pdf, accessed on 15 May 2015.

  52. 52.

    See 2014 COM, [32], [35]–[38] and also Italianer, supra n. 13.

  53. 53.

    See 2014 COM, [46].

  54. 54.

    See Italianer, supra n. 13.

  55. 55.

    See supra n. 34 and 35.

  56. 56.

    Italianer, supra n. 13.

  57. 57.

    Almunia, supra n. 12.

  58. 58.

    Supra n. 36.

  59. 59.

    2014 COM, [37].

  60. 60.

    See http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-14-1140_en.htm, accessed on 17 May 2015.

  61. 61.

    Opinion of AG Kokott, Joined cases C-293/13 and 294/13 Fresh Del Monte Produce v. Commission, ECLI:EU:C:2014:2439.

  62. 62.

    Supra n. 12 and 34.

  63. 63.

    Case T-201/11 Si.mobil v. Commission, supra n. 48 and case T-355/13 EasyJet Airline v. Commission, ECLI:EU:T:2015:36.

  64. 64.

    For a more detailed analysis of these two rulings see Rusu, supra n. 28.

  65. 65.

    Case T-623/13 Unión de Almacenistas de Hierros de España v. Commission, ECLI:EU:T:2015:268.

  66. 66.

    Regulation 1049/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents, OJ 2001 L 145.

  67. 67.

    Case C-226/22 Expedia Inc. v. Autorité de la Concurrence and Others, ECLI:EU:C:2012:795.

  68. 68.

    Communication from the Commission – Notice on agreements of minor importance which do not appreciably restrict competition under Article 101(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (De Minimis Notice), OJ C 291, 30.08.2014.

  69. 69.

    Case C-360/09 Pfleiderer AG v. Bundeskartellamt, ECLI:EU:C:2011:389 and case C-536/11 Bundeswettbewerbsbehörde v. Donau Chemie AG and Others, ECLI:EU:C:2013:366.

  70. 70.

    See also C.S. Rusu, J.M. Veenbrink, ‘Case Comment – C-557/12 Kone’, 10 Competition Law Review 1, 2014.

  71. 71.

    Case C-557/12 Kone AG and Others v. ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG, ECLI:EU:C:2014:1317.

  72. 72.

    See case C-199/11 Europese Gemeenschap v. Otis NV and Others, ECLI:EU:C:2012:684.

  73. 73.

    Directive 2014/104/EU on certain rules governing actions for damages under national law for infringements of the competition law provisions of the Member States and of the European Union, OJ L349/1, 05.12.2014.

  74. 74.

    See http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-15-4921_en.htm, accessed on 27 May 2015.

  75. 75.

    See http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-15-4919_en.htm, accessed on 27 May 2015.

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  1. Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands

    Cătălin S. Rusu

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  1. Faculty of Law, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Sector 5, Romania

    Adriana Almășan

  2. School of Law, University of Leeds, Leeds, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom

    Peter Whelan

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Rusu, C.S. (2017). The Commission Communication on Ten Years of Antitrust Enforcement Under Regulation 1/2003 – Prospective Priorities and Challenges. In: Almășan, A., Whelan, P. (eds) The Consistent Application of EU Competition Law. Studies in European Economic Law and Regulation, vol 9. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47382-6_2

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