The Damages Directive has a rather limited scope, focusing only on damages claims stemming from anticompetitive agreements or abuse of a dominant position, provided such conduct was able to affect trade between EU Member States. However, Member States are not limited by this scope and so they may decide, when implementing the Directive, to enhance not only claims for damages, but the overall private enforcement of competition law. In this article, we shall explore the scope of the implementing legislation of selected Central and Eastern European Countries, namely in Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.
À la suite de deux recours d’un arrêt du Tribunal concernant la qualification d’une série de mesures de soutien financier comme aide(s) d’État, la Cour de justice précise que ni les éléments concurrentiels secondaires et accessoires au sein d’un système de sécurité sociale ni la présence d’opérateurs à but lucratif sont de nature à l’emporter sur la nature non économique des activités concernées. Par conséquent, si les caractéristiques découlant du principe de solidarité prévalent, le bénéficiaire des mesures ne sera pas qualifié d’entreprise, aux fins des règles relatives aux aides d’État.
EN
Following two appeals against a judgment of the General Court regarding the qualification of a series of measures of financial support as State aid(s), the Court of Justice clarifies that secondary and ancillary competitive elements within a social security system, and the presence of for-profit operators, are not such as to override the non-economic nature of the activities concerned. Therefore, should the characteristics derived from the principle of solidarity prevail, the recipient of the measures will not qualify as an ‘undertaking’, for the purposes of State aid rules.
Dans la tradition des États membres de droit civil, les questions de responsabilité civile sont liées à la personne morale qui a causé un dommage, à l’exception du voile corporatif. L’autorité finlandaise de la concurrence a infligé des amendes aux entreprises finlandaises qui ont participé à une entente sur l’asphalte. Depuis cette décision, une action en dommages-intérêts a été introduite pour violation de l’article 101 du TFUE, qui a finalement abouti à l’arrêt Skanska. Le juge européen complète et précise certaines ambiguïtés de la directive Dommages et intérêts. D’un point de vue global de l’objectif poursuivi par l’application publique et privée des règles du droit européen de la concurrence, l’entité économique de l’ «entreprise» telle qu’elle est définie par le droit européen, et non l’entité juridique telle qu’elle est définie par le droit national, doit être un critère de fond, et non de procédure, dans les procédures en responsabilité civile devant les juridictions nationales qui accordent des indemnités pour violation du droit européen. L’introduction du principe de continuité économique dans les procedures nationales de responsabilité civile est une harmonisation progressive du droit civil national afin de servir l’efficacité du droit européen de la concurrence. Le champ d’application de Skanska pourrait également s’étendre aux infractions à l’article 102 du TFUE. La restructuration des entreprises doit dorénavant faire l’objet d’un contrôle préalable long et complexe, car les acquéreurs pourraient être fiables pour les infractions commises par leurs prédécesseurs dans tous les États membres.
EN
In the tradition of civil law Member States, civil liability issues are linked to the legal entity that caused a damage, with the exception of lifting the corporate veil. The Finnish competition authority imposed fines to Finnish companies that participated in an asphalt cartel. Following that decision, an action for damages was lodged for infringement of Article 101 TFEU that ultimately led to the Skanska ruling. The European judge completes and specifies some ambiguities of the Damages Directive. From a holistic point of view of the objective pursued by both public and private enforcement of European competition law rules, the economic entity of an ‘undertaking’, as it is defined by European law rather than the legal entity as it is defined by national law, must be a substantive criterion, and not a procedural one, in civil liability procedures before national courts awarding damages for European law infringements. Introducing the principle of economic continuity to national civil liability procedures is a creeping harmonisation of national civil law in order to serve the effectiveness of European competition law. The scope of Skanska could also extent to Article 102 TFEU infringements. Corporate restructuring must follow from now on a lengthy and complex due diligence as the acquirers could be liable for their predecessors’ infringements in any Member State.
State-initiated competition restraints remain a recurrent problem for competition law enforcement in transition economies characterized by a history of price controls and extensive State regulation of economic activities. The application of the concepts of ‘undertaking’ and ‘economic activity’ to the actions of State institutions, as developed in EU competition law, allows national competition authorities to enforce competition rules against public bodies. EU candidate countries, as well as States aspiring to a candidate status, have been continuously reforming their competition laws, aligning them with acquis communautaire and applying EU competition law concepts and standards in their domestic enforcement practices. This paper deals with the particularities of the application of competition rules to the actions of State institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A detailed study of emerging domestic case law demonstrates significant deviations in the interpretation and application of these well known competition law concepts. The legislative and enforcement peculiarities observed in the target jurisdiction are compared with those found in EU competition law and in the legal systems of neighbouring courtiers.
FR
Les restrictions de la concurrence initiées par l’Etat restent un problème répétitif pour l’application du droit de la concurrence dans les pays en transition ayant l’histoire du contrôle des prix et une réglementation vaste relative aux activités économiques imposée par l’Etat. L’application des concepts d’ « entreprise » et d’ « activité économique » à l’action des institutions de l’Etat, mises en oeuvre par le droit communautaire de la concurrence, permet aux autorités nationales d’imposer des règles de la concurrence contre des organes public. Les pays candidats à l’UE et les Etats qui aspirent au statut de pays candidat ont constamment réformé leurs lois sur la concurrence afin de les aligner à l’acquis communautaire et d’appliquer les concepts du droit de la concurrence et des normes européens dans leurs pratiques nationaux. Le document traite sur des particularités de l’application des règles de la concurrence aux actions des institutions de Bosnie-Herzégovine. L’étude détaillée de la jurisprudence actuelle montre des écarts importants dans l’interprétation et l’application de ces concepts du droit de la concurrence bien connus. Les particularités législatives et d’exécution observées dans la juridiction sont comparées avec celles trouvées dans le droit de la concurrence de l’UE et des pays voisins.
The article deals with a very crucial question of the legal status of physicians in Poland. The question asked is whether a physician who works as a sole practitioner may be recognized as a person performing a liberal profession, a public trust profession (a category specifi c only as far as Polish domestic law concerned), or a regulated profession (according to Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 September 2005 on the recognition of professional qualifi cations). Consequently, first the concepts of a liberal, regulated and public trust professions are analysed. Another important question to be answered is if physicians practicing as sole traders are undertakings in the meaning of the EU law and if they are what their status is. The vastest exclusion in terms of the subject and object of the legislation was provided by the Regulation on Industrial Law issued by Poland’s President on 7 June 1927 which excluded the activity conducted by physicians. Under Article 3 of the President’s Regulation the Commercial Code 27 June 1934, all liberal professions were also excluded from activities considered to be a form of entrepreneurship. This attitude changed in postwar Poland and the Act of 23 December 1988 on Economic Activity provided for no exclusion for any liberal profession from being regarded as economic activity. The Act of 19 November 1999 on Economic Activity excluded from its scope only entities that provided legal services (barristers and solicitors) and those rendering services in the area of industrial property. Today, under Polish law physicians are considered to be an undertaking in two situations: when they conduct their activities in the form of so-called ‘private practice’ (one-person undertaking), or when they conduct their practice within so-called ‘collective practice’ (partnership). They are not regarded as undertakings when they are employed by a medical institution or another medical entity on the basis of an employment contract. In such a case they fall under the provisions of the Act of 15 April 2011 on Medical Activities, but still keep the status of liberal profession.
The article explores the problems related to the determination of a single economic unit under competition law. The first part of the article addresses the concept of a single economic entity. It is presumed that companies belonging to a group are separate undertakings, but under certain circumstances the group might constitute a single economic entity. The second part refers to the analysis of the concept of ‘control’, which is the main criterion describing the relationship inside a group of companies. The third part refers to the analysis of the cases when de jure separate undertakings are recognized as a single economic entity. When a company exercises decisive influence over another company, they form a single economic entity and, hence, are part of the same undertaking. Decisive influence is the most important criterion for recognizing that de jure separate undertakings constitute a single economic unit. Finally, the fourth part refers to problems concerning the presumption of the decisive influence. It is presumed that a parent company exercises a decisive influence over a subsidiary where it holds 100 percent of capital. Thus, separate companies are recognized as a single economic unit, if 100 percent of a company’s capital is owned by the controlling entity.
Artykuł prezentuje wybrane rozwiązania dotyczące tzw. osoby zarządzającej zawarte w rządowym projekcie ustawy zmieniającej ustawę o ochronie konkurencji i konsumentów. Autorka wskazuje na pewne problemy, jakimi może skutkować wprowadzenie regulacji prawnych o treści proponowanej przez projektodawcę. Jednocześnie podejmuje próbę wskazania, w jaki sposób można zmodyfikować projektowane przepisy.
EN
This article considers a number of legal provisions concerning “managers” that have been included in the Government’s 2013 Draft Amendment Act to the Competition and Consumers Protection of 2007. The author indicates some potential difficulties that might arise if such provisions were in fact to be introduced into the national competition law system. At the same time, the author attempts to answer questions such as how the Draft could be modified.
W artykule odniesiono się do nowego rozporządzenia w przedmiocie pomocy de minimis w prawie Unii Europejskiej i wprowadzonego do niego pojęcia „przedsiębiorstwa”. Opisano w nim przymioty przedsiębiorstwa i kryteria uznawania różnych jednostek gospodarczych za jedno przedsiębiorstwo na potrzeby pomocy de minimis.
EN
This paper addresses the new de minimis regulation and outlines the concept of an undertaking, which is used by this regulation. The paper catalogues the features of an undertaking and discusses the new possibilities of classifying an enterprise as a single undertaking for the purposes of de minimis aid.
Artykuł omawia pojęcie „osoby zarządzającej”, wprowadzone do ustawy o ochronie konkurencji i konsumentów nowelizacją z 10 czerwca 2014 r. Przedstawia definicję ustawową oraz krytykę jej objaśnienia przez autorów uzasadnienia projektu nowelizacji. Dokonuje próby wykładni językowej i systemowej definicji oraz składających się na nią pojęć. Ostatecznie formułuje wniosek co do zakresu podmiotowego definicji osoby zarządzającej.
EN
The paper discusses the term “managing person”, introduced into the Polish Competition and Consumer Protection Act by its Amendment of 10 June 2014. It presents the new statutory definition and criticises its explanation provided in the justification to the draft act. The paper aims also to provide a linguistic interpretation and systemic arguments regarding the definition and other terms included therein. The paper draws conclusions as to the personal scope of the definition of “managing person”.
Artykuł omawia pojęcie „osoby zarządzającej”, wprowadzone do ustawy o ochronie konkurencji i konsumentów nowelizacją z 10 czerwca 2014 r. Przedstawia definicję ustawową oraz krytykę jej objaśnienia przez autorów uzasadnienia projektu nowelizacji. Dokonuje próby wykładni językowej i systemowej definicji oraz składających się na nią pojęć. Ostatecznie formułuje wniosek co do zakresu podmiotowego definicji osoby zarządzającej.
EN
The paper discusses the term “managing person”, introduced into the Polish Competition and Consumer Protection Act by its Amendment of 10 June 2014. It presents the new statutory definition and criticises its explanation provided in the justification to the draft act. The paper aims also to provide a linguistic interpretation and systemic arguments regarding the definition and other terms included therein. The paper draws conclusions as to the personal scope of the definition of “managing person”.
Niniejsze opracowanie poświęcone jest uchwalonemu w 2012 r. prawu konkurencji Specjalnego Regionu Administracyjnego Chińskiej Republiki Ludowej Hongkongu. Autor omawia podstawowe zagadnienia materialno-prawne związane z zakazem zawierania porozumień ograniczających konkurencję, zakazem nadużywania siły rynkowej i nadzorem nad koncentracjami. Autor przedstawia również ramy instytucjonalne tworzonego systemu ochrony konkurencji oraz wybrane kwestie proceduralne, w szczególności dotyczące nakładania kar, procedury leniency i prywatnoprawnego stosowania prawa konkurencji.
EN
The article is devoted to the competition law of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, which was enacted in 2012. Described therein are fundamental substantive issues relating to the prohibition to conclude agreements restricting competition, prohibition to abuse market power and the control of concentrations. Presented also is the relevant institutional framework of Hong Kong’s competition protection system and its selected procedural issues. Focus here is placed, in particular, on the imposition of fines, the leniency procedure and private enforcement of competition law.
Przedmiotem artykułu jest szwajcarskie prawo konkurencji, przedstawione w zarysie w oparciu o stosowną legislację oraz orzecznictwo. W opracowaniu zaprezentowano wybrane najważniejsze aspekty (zarówno materialno-prawne, jak i proceduralne) szwajcarskiej regulacji antymonopolowej dot. inter alia zakresu jej zastosowania, organów ochrony konkurencji, a także „trzech tradycyjnych filarów prawa konkurencji”, tj. porozumień ograniczających konkurencję, nadużycia pozycji dominującej oraz kontroli koncentracji. W tekście wskazane zostały również niektóre różnice i podobieństwa z polskim i unijnym reżimem omawianej gałęzi prawa. Uwagi końcowe poświęcone zostały projektowi rychłej nowelizacji ustawy federalnej o kartelach i innych ograniczeniach konkurencji oraz kwestii zacieśniania się stosunków pomiędzy Szwajcarią i Unią Europejską w dziedzinie prawa konkurencji.
EN
This article focuses on Swiss competition law, as outlined on the basis of the relevant legislation and case law. The paper presents selected key aspects (in relation to both substantive and procedural law) of Swiss anti-trust law regarding, inter alia, its scope, competition protection authorities, as well as “the three traditional pillars of competition law” (agreements restricting competition, abuse of dominance and control of concentrations). Noted in the text are some of the differences and some of the similarities between Swiss, Polish and EU competition law. The imminent revision of the Federal Act on cartels and other competition restrictions is considered in the closing remarks, as is the strengthening of the relations between Switzerland and the European Union in the field of competition law.
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