On September 10, 2021, the FCA authorized the acquisition of 100 stores belonging to Bio c’ Bon, a French chain of organic grocery stores, by hypermarket chain Carrefour, subject to divestiture remedies.
Forrest Fresh Foods Limited v Coca-Cola European Partners Great Britain Limited
On 7 September 2021 the CAT issued a judgment striking out Forrest Fresh Foods’ claim against Coca-Cola European Partners Great
Ne Bis In Idem and EU Law: One Test To Rule All?
On September 2, 2021, Advocate General (“AG”) Bobek issued his opinions on two preliminary ruling requests, Bpost[1] and Nordzucker (the “Opinions”),[2] recommending to harmonize the principle of ne bis in idem—otherwise known as the double jeopardy test—in the EU, as it applies to all branches of EU law. AG Bobek suggested that application of the ne bis in idem principle should be based on a “triple identity” test: namely, of the offender, the relevant facts, and the protected legal interest.[3]
The UK Office for the Internal Market Is Officially Launched
In September 2021, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced the official launch of the Office for the Internal Market (OIM), a new unit within the CMA intended to support the effective operation of the UK internal market through monitoring, publishing reports and advice, and making recommendations to the Government. This article examines (i) what the OIM does and why it was introduced; (ii) how the OIM proposes to carry out its functions; (iii) the OIM’s information gathering powers; and (iv) broader implications for UK competition policy.
The Council of State Reaffirms Its Position Concerning the Assessment of the “Value of Sales” and the “Entry Fee” in Calculating the Fines for a Bid Rigging Case
The French Competition Authority Publishes Its Revised Fining Guidelines
On July 30, 2021, the French Competition Authority (“FCA”) published its revised Fining Guidelines, which repealed and replaced the 2011 guidelines.[1] In June, the FCA had opened a public consultation on a draft, which provided for different changes of the method of calculation of fines. While the Guidelines as published have retained those changes, they also include several more minor ones resulting from the public consultation.
TAR Lazio Confirms ICA Decision Fining Several Companies for Bid-rigging in Private Security Services Sector in Italy
On July 22, 2021, the TAR Lazio dismissed in full the applications filed by Coopservice s.coop.p.a. (“Coopservice”), Allsystem s.p.a. (“Allsystem”), Istituti di Vigilanza Riuniti s.p.a. (“IVRI”) and its parent company Biks Group s.p.a. (“Biks”), Italpol Vigilanza s.r.l. (“Italpol”) and its parent company MC Holding s.r.l. (“MC Holding”), as well as Sicuritalia s.p.a. (“Sicuritalia”) and its parent company Lomafin SGH s.p.a. (“Lomafin”; collectively, the “Parties”) for annulment of the 2019 decision adopted by the ICA in Case I821 (the “Decision”).[1]
The French Competition Authority Fines Google for Allegedly Not Complying With the FCA Interim Measures in the Press Publishers Case
On July 12, 2021,[1] the French Competition Authority (the “FCA”) imposed a €500 million fine on Google for having allegedly not complied with four of the seven injunctions imposed on the company in its April 2020 interim measures’ decision.[2] This is the highest fine ever imposed by the FCA for non-compliance with injunctions. The investigation on the merits is still ongoing.
The French Competition Authority Dismisses a Retail Price Maintenance Case Against Kärcher, Closing a Ten-year-Long Investigation
On June 24, 2021,[1] the French Competition Authority (“FCA”) issued a decision closing ten years of investigation for alleged retail price maintenance (“RPM”) practices by Kärcher and dismissed the case. This is one of the rare instances where the Collège has dismissed a case for lack of evidence after objections were notified to the party.
FCO Presents Annual Report 2020/2021 Focusing On The Digital Economy
On June 23, 2021, the German Federal Cartel Office (“FCO”) published its Annual Report 2020/2021[1] as well as its biennial Activity Report 2019/2020. Andreas Mundt, the President of the FCO, pointed out that the FCO’s enforcement activities continue to focus on the digital economy and consumer protection—especially with the help of the FCO’s new enforcement tools created by the recently introduced 10th Amendment of the German Act Against Restraints of Competition (“ARC”)[2]. The reports also provides various enforcement statistics that show that the FCO continues to be a highly active competition law enforcer in the EU.[3]