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Right to Be Heard or Protection of Confidential Information? Competing Guarantees of Procedural Fairness in Proceedings Before the Polish Competition Authority

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Bernatt M.

Yearbook of Antitrust and Regulatory Studies

2010

vol. 3(3)

53-70

The concept of procedural fairness plays an important role in the enforcement of competition law, which must not only be effective but also fair. Thus, legal institutions should guarantee a proper level of protection of the values of procedural fairness. This paper is dedicated to the possible conflict between the guarantees of procedural fairness that find their expression in the right to be heard and in the protection of confidential information. Both guarantees, the right to be heard on the one side, and the protection of confidential information on the other, should be properly balanced. Unlike EU law, Polish legislation and jurisprudence proves to be inefficient in this respect. Article 69 of the Competition Act fails to show clearly what the limits of the protection of confidential information are in situations when the right to be heard of other parties of antitrust proceedings is at stake. Business secrets are predominantly protected over the right to be heard also in the jurisprudence of Polish courts. By contrast, the Competition Act does not seem to properly protect confidential information other than business secrets. Such situation poses a risk for the adequate level of protection of procedural fairness in Polish antitrust enforcement. Moreover, neither Polish legislation nor jurisprudence explains to companies what shall prevail in the case of a concrete conflict between the protection of business secrets and the right to be heard. An answer to this questions is needed seeing as proof of a competition law infringement which should be accessible to the parties, can at the same time constitute a business secret.

Le concept de l’équité procédurale joue un rôle important dans le renforcement de la loi de la concurrence, qui, outre d’être efficace, doit aussi aussi être équitable. Pour cela, les institutions légales devraient garantir le niveau de protection de l’équité procedurale nécessaire. L'objet de cet article est d'étudier les conflits possibles entre les garantis de l’équité procédurale qui trouvent leur expression dans le droit d'être entendu et dans la protection des données confidentielles.

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1 Yearbook of Antitrust and Regulatory Studies

1 Bernatt M.

1 2010

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Right to Be Heard or Protection of Confidential Information? Competing Guarantees of Procedural Fairness in Proceedings Before the Polish Competition Authority