“If there is a button for an American platform, there must be a button for a French platform.”
Antitrust & Competition Law
Everything from the pig goes…except cartels!
Fake notebooks, clandestine meetings, secret phone calls, destroyed documents, the list goes on and on. About fifty companies were ultimately targeted by the twenty-three months of investigation.
Reflecting on EU state aid measures during the COVID-19 pandemic
The Commissioner for Competition has been active in approving state aid measures in order to benefit the affected businesses as quickly as possible.
Employee data rights reaffirmed in various settings
Two interesting data protection developments were concluded on the first week of October, with the Court clarifying elements of the Commission investigation procedure into anticompetitive activities and a hefty fine for a H&M subsidiary for data collection
Amazon under scrutiny by German competition authorities
The investigation looks into whether Amazon’s practices during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic towards third-party marketplace sellers could amount to an abuse of a dominant position.
Apple gains victory in the General Court
The American tech behemoth gained a major victory over the Commission, as the General Court did not see the company gaining unfair advantages in the Irish tax rulings.
ECJ: Parties not directly affected by actions of a cartel may claim compensation for losses incurred
New ECJ ruling gives increased protection to parties affected by anticompetitive behaviour
EU ministers reject ‘name-and-shame’ policy for tax-avoiding companies
The Member States are split in finding an amicable resolution in ensuring proper tax payments by such multinational companies
European court ruling defines Commission’s scope in forcing countries to recover illegal tax benefits
The decision may well influence the Commission’s strategy in competition law
