Enforcement of Competition Law in Times of Crisis: Is Guided Self-Assessment the Answer?

• Authors: Bruce Wardhaugh

Abstracts

FR

Une critique courante du régime de concurrence de l’Union européenne est qu’il entrave l’atténuation adéquate des crises en empêchant une réponse collaborative au problème. Nous suggérons que ce point de vue est incorrect. Nous suggérons qu’une réponse collaborative a peu de chances d’atténuer efficacement la plupart des problèmes. Pourtant, certaines formes de coopération peuvent faciliter la résolution d’une crise. Elles peuvent se situer à la limite de la légalité, ce qui crée une incertitude quant à savoir si la pratique proposée sera autorisée. Compte tenu de la possibilité de sanctions importantes en cas d’infraction à la concurrence, la plupart des entreprises ne s’engageront pas dans de telles pratiques de coopération. Il existe d’importants obstacles juridiques et institutionnels à la fourniture de ces orientations. Ces lacunes conduisent à l’incertitude que l’on retrouve dans la nature des règles de concurrence de l’Union européenne et dans la pratique des autorités nationales de la concurrence. Nous soutenons que la voie à suivre est celle d’un engagement et d’une orientation accrus de la part de la Commission et des autorités nationales.

EN

One common criticism of the EU’s competition regime is that it hinders adequate mitigation of crises by preventing a collaborative response to the problem. We suggest that this view is incorrect. We suggest that a collaborative response is unlikely to effectively mitigate most problems. Yet some forms of cooperation can facilitate a crisis solution. These may be at the margin of legality, giving uncertainty as to whether the proposed practice is permitted. With the possibility of significant penalties for competition infringements, most undertakings will not engage in such cooperative practices. There are significant legal and institutional impediments to providing this Guidance. Such gaps lead to uncertainty found in the nature of the EU competition rules and in NCA practice. We argue that the means forward is with greater engagement and guidance by the Commission and NCAs.

Keywords

EN

Enforcement; Competition Law; Regulation 1/2003; Guidance; Crises; Sustainability

• Publisher: Uniwersytet Warszawski. Wydział Nauk Ekonomicznych
• Journal: Yearbook of Antitrust and Regulatory Studies
• Year: 2022
• Volume: 15
• Issue: 25
• Pages: 63-86

Dates

published

2022

Contributors

author

Bruce Wardhaugh

• Durham Law School, Durham University

• https://orcid.org/0000000169386624

References

• Autoriteit Consument en Markt. (2015) Analysis of the sustainability arrangements concerning the ‘Chicken of Tomorrow’, ACM/DM/2014/206028 (January 2015) p. 4.
• Autoriteit Consument en Markt. (2019) ‘ACM procedure regarding informal opinions’ (Dutch Government Gazette No. 11177 – 26 February 2019), <https://www.acm.nl/ sites/default/files/documents/2019-07/acm-procedure-regarding-informal-opinions.pdf> accessed 24 August 2022.
• Autoriteit Consument en Markt. (2020) Memo: Welfare of today’s chicken and that of the ‘Chicken of Tomorrow’, p. 3 <https://www.acm.nl/sites/default/files/documents/2020-08/ welfare-of-todays-chicken-and-that-of-the-chicken-of-tomorrow.pdf> accessed 24 August 2022.
• Autoriteit Consument en Markt. (2020) Welfare of today’s chicken and that of the ‘Chicken of Tomorrow (13 August 2020) p. 3.
• Bos, J.M., van den Belt, H. & Feindt, P.H. (2018) ‘Animal Welfare, Consumer Welfare, and Competition Law: The Dutch Debate on the Chicken of Tomorrow’ 8 Animal Frontiers 20, 20.
• Brook, O. (2022) Non-Competition Interests in EU Antitrust Law: An Empirical Study of Article 101 TFEU (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).
• Buhart, J. & Henry, D. (2020) ‘COVID-20: The Comfort Letter Is Dead. Long Live the Comfort Letter?’ 43 World Competition 305.
• Council. (2008) ‘Immediate responses to financial turmoil Council Conclusions – Ecofin Council of 7 October 2008’ (Luxembourg, 7 October 2008) 13930/08 (Presse 284) <https://www.consilium.europa.eu/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressData/en/misc/103202. pdf> accessed 24 August 2022.
• Crick, J.M. & Crick, D. (2020) ‘Coopetition [sic] and COVID-19: Collaborative Business- To-Business Marketing Strategies in a Pandemic Crisis’ 88 Industrial Marketing Management 206, 211.
• De Stefano, G. (2020) “Covid-19 and EU Competition Law: Bring the Informal Guidance On” 11 Journal of European Competition Law and Practice 121.
• Devlin, E. (2020) ‘Don’t Panic: Toilet Roll Production and Distribution Normal, Say Suppliers’ The Grocer <https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/supply-chain/dont-panic-toiletroll- production-and-distribution-normal-say-suppliers/602737.article> accessed 24 August 2022.
• Eley, J. (2020) ‘Supermarkets take measures to control panic buying’ Financial Times, accessed 24 August 2022.
• Eley, J. & Evans, J. (2020) “Supermarkets Raid Restaurants to Restock Shelves” Financial Times, accessed 24 August 2022.
• European Commission. (2004) XXXIVth Report on Competition Policy (Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2005) point 1.
• European Commission. (2008) Commission, Press Release, ‘State Aid: Commission gives guidance to Member States on measures for banks in crisis’ (13 October 2008) (IP/08/1495), <https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_08_1495> accessed 24 August 2022. The guidance was published on 25 October 2008: Communication from the Commission, ‘The application of State aid rules to measures taken in relation to financial institutions in the context of the current global financial crisis’ [2008] OJ C-270/8.
• Gerbrandy, A. (2017) ‘Solving a Sustainability-Deficit in European Competition Law’ 40 World Competition 539, 540.
• Holmes, S. (2020) ‘Climate Change, Sustainability, and Competition Law’ 8 Journal of Antitrust Enforcement 354, 382–383.
• Ibáñez Colomo, P. (2021) ‘Anticompetitive Effects in EU Competition Law’ 17 Journal of Competition Law & Economics 309, 361.
• Jones, A., Sufrin, B. & Dunne, N. (2019) [in:] Jones, A. & Sufrin, B. EU Competition Law: Text, Cases, and Materials (Oxford: OUP; seventh edn) at 240.
• Kerber, W. (2009) ‘Should Competition Law Promote Efficiency? Some Reflections of an Economist on the Normative Foundations of Competition Law’ in Josef Drexl, Laurence Idot and Joël Monéger (eds) Economic Theory and Competition Law (Cheltenham: Edward Elgar) pp. 93–120 at 96.
• Klein Swormink, B. (2017) ‘Chicken of Tomorrow is here today’ Poultry World, <https:// www.poultryworld.net/Meat/Articles/2017/3/Chicken-of-Tomorrow-is-here-today- 103092E/> accessed 24 August 2022.
• Mulder, M., Zomer, S., Benning, T. & Leenheer, J. (2014) ‘Economische effecten van “Kip van Morgen” Kosten en baten voor consumenten van een collectieve afspraak in de pluimveehouderij’ (Office of the Chief Economist ACM, October 2014), <https:// www.acm.nl/sites/default/files/old_publication/publicaties/13759_onderzoek-acm-naarde- economische-effecten-van-de-kip-van-morgen.pdf> accessed 24 August 2022.
• Odudu, O. (2009) ‘Restrictions of Competition by Object – What’s The Beef?’ 8 Competition Law Journal 11.
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2020) ‘Sustainability and Competition–Note by the Netherlands’ contribution for 134th OECD Competition Committee meeting on 1–3 December 2020 DAF/COMP/WD(2020)66 (Paris: OECD) paras 8–9, see also para 2
• Ormosi, P. & Stephan, A., (2020) ‘The Dangers of Allowing Greater Coordination Between Competitors During the COVID-19 Crisis’ 8 Journal of Antitrust Enforcement 299, 300.
• Schinkel, M.P. & d’Ailly, A. (2020) ‘Corona Crisis Cartels: Sense and Sensibility’ Amsterdam Law School Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2020-31 / Amsterdam Center for Law & Economics Working Paper No. 2020-03 (SSRN=3623154) at 9 accessed 24 August 2022.
• Scott Morton, F.M. (2020) ‘Innovation Incentives in a Pandemic’ 8 Journal of Antitrust Enforcement 309.
• Sheehy, S.J. (1980) ‘The Impact of EEC Membership on Irish Agriculture’ 31 Journal of Agricultural Economics 297, 310.
• Talbot, C. (2015) ‘Finding a Baseline for Competition Law Enforcement during Crises: Case Study of the Irish Beef Proceedings’ 18 Irish Journal of European Law 55.
• Townley, C. (2009) Article 81 and Public Policy (Oxford: Hart).
• Wardhaugh, B. (2014) ‘Crisis Cartels: Non-Economic Values, the Public Interest, and Institutional Considerations’ 10 European Competition Journal 311.
• Wentworth, J. (2020) ‘Rapid Response: Effects of COVID-19 on the Food Supply System’ UK Parliament Post; <https://post.parliament.uk/effects-of-covid-19-on-the-foodsupply- system/> accessed 24 August 2022.
• Witt, A.C. (2012) ‘Public Policy Goals under EU Competition Law – Now Is the Time to Set the House in Order’ 8 European Competition Journal 443, 435..

Identifiers

DOI

10.7172/1689-9024.YARS.2022.15.25.3

Biblioteka Nauki

2158405