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18 December
2020
6/2020
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Competition Weekly e-news
Cases, Judgments, News
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EU Competition
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DG COMP Website
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Mergers
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17/12/2020
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Commission clears acquisition of Fitbit by Google, subject to conditions
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The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of Fitbit by Google. The approval is conditional on full compliance with a commitments package offered by Google.
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Antitrust
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14/12/2020
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Commission publishes report on implementation of Damages Directive
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The European Commission has published a report on the implementation of the 2014 Antitrust Damages Directive which helps citizens and companies claim damages if they are victims of infringements of EU antitrust rules, such as cartels or abuses of dominant market positions. Based on the findings of the report, the Commission has drawn positive conclusions as regards the consistent implementation of its rules. In line with the requirements in the Directive, the report has been sent to the European Parliament and the Council.
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State aid
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16/12/2020
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Commission approves amended Estonian scheme worth €450 million to support production of electricity from renewable sources
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The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, the modification of the existing aid scheme to support electricity production from renewable sources and efficient co-generation in Estonia. The measure will help Estonia reach its renewable energy targets and will contribute to the new European objective of achieving climate neutrality by 2050, without unduly distorting competition.
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16/12/2020
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Commission approves €55 million German scheme to support roll-out of infrastructure for mobile communication services in German Land of Brandenburg
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The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €55 million German aid scheme to support the deployment of high-performance mobile networks in underserved areas of the German Federal State (Land) of Brandenburg.
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14/12/2020
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Commission approves €30 billion Dutch scheme to support projects reducing greenhouse gas emissions
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The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €30 billion Dutch scheme to support projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the Netherlands. The scheme (Stimulering Duurzame Energieproductie, "SDE++") will contribute to the EU environmental objectives without unduly distorting competition.
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14/12/2020
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Commission gives green light to the Pan-European Guarantee Fund to enable up to €200 billion financing for companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak in 21 Member States
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The European Commission found the creation of a €25 billion Pan-European Guarantee Fund managed by the European Investment Bank (EIB) to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak to be in line with EU State aid rules. The Fund is expected to mobilise up to €200 billion of additional financing to support mainly small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) affected by the outbreak in the 21 participating Member States.
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Competition
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17/12/2020
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EVP Margrethe Vestager's statement at the event "IPCEI now and tomorrow - the future of European Cooperation in key technologies - celebrating the new launch of IPCEI hydrogen"
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Statement by EVP Margrethe Vestager,
"IPCEI now and tomorrow - the future of European Cooperation in key technologies - celebrating the new launch of IPCEI hydrogen",
17 December 2020.
[...]"The Recovery and Resilience Facility can also be used by all Member States to finance hydrogen related projects. We will in the coming days publish a set of technical guiding templates on how such projects can be supported in line with EU State aid rules. [...]
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15/12/2020
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Europe fit for the Digital Age: Commission proposes new rules for digital platforms
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The Commission has proposed today an ambitious reform of the digital space, a comprehensive set of new rules for all digital services, including social media, online market places, and other online platforms that operate in the European Union: the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act.
See also:
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Court
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Public consultations
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23/11/2020 - 21/12/2020
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Revision of Communication on important projects of common European interest
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Important projects of common European interest are strategic projects in different sectors that require joint investments by public authorities and industries from several EU countries. The current framework of rules for such projects expires on 31 December 2021 and will need some changes as part of a broader evaluation of EU State aid.
This initiative will clarify and simplify the rules, align them with current policies and adapt them to respond to economic and societal challenges.
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08/09/2020 - 05/01/2021
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Evaluation of State aid rules for broadband infrastructure deployment
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The purpose of the public consultation is to assess whether the Broadband State aid Guidelines and the relevant GBER provisions have met their objectives, what effect they have had on the market and on competition, and whether they need to be updated in light of recent technological and market developments and the new EU digital policy goals. In the consultation, the Commission aims at assessing the effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, relevance and EU added value of the existing rules, in line with the Better Regulation requirements.
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12/11/2020 - 07/01/2021
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Revision of the Energy and Environmental Aid Guidelines (EEAG)
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A Fitness Check on the State aid modernisation package has been carried out. The results of this evaluation, which largely covered the time before the COVID-19 pandemic and the introduction of the twin transition, show that the EEAG and corresponding GBER rules have generally delivered on their objectives. However, it identified certain aspects where the EEAG should be modernised in a way that minimises distortions of trade and competition in the Single Market. Furthermore, the announcement of the Green Deal requires a wider and deeper review of the EEAG, in particular in the two areas mentioned below.
This initiative is guided by the general main objective of coherence with the twin green and digital transformation of the economy. The revision should result in a modernised, simplified, easy to apply and future-proof enabling framework for public authorities to help reaching the EU environmental and energy objectives in a cost effective manner with minimum distortions of competition and trade within the Union. The two main buildings blocks are a review of the compatibility criteria for environmental protection, as well as an assessment of State aid to energy intensive users.
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15/12/2020 - 12/01/2021
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State aid rules for research, development & innovation (framework)
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The fitness check evaluation concluded that the 2014 State aid rules for research, development and innovation (RDI) have been broadly effective and efficient. However, some targeted updates to reflect economic and technological developments are needed.
This initiative will further simplify the rules applied by EU countries to implement RDI aimed at innovative solutions. For example, in digital, health and carbon-neutral technologies that support the transition to a green and digital economy.
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15/09/2020 - 15/01/2021
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Call for proposals: Training of national judges in EU Competition Law
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The new call for proposals focuses on EU competition law trainings addressing national judges dealing with competition cases at national level. This also includes prosecutors, apprentice national judges and the staff of national courts of eligible countries.
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12/10/2020 - 25/01/2021
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EU automotive sector – exemption from antitrust rules (review)
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EU antitrust rules usually ban vertical agreements and concerted practices, which are likely to restrict competition in a given sector. There is currently an exemption for certain agreements and practices in the automotive sector, but this expires on 31 May 2023. This evaluation will check whether the exemption is still effective, efficient, and consistent with other EU and national rules.
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18/12/2020 - 26/03/2021
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EU competition rules – revision of the Vertical Block Exemption Regulation
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The Vertical Block Exemption Regulation expires on 31 May 2022. The Regulation exempts agreements between different levels of the same supply chain from the EU’s competition rules. In a business environment reshaped notably by the growth of e-commerce, this initiative aims to revise the rules to: - provide up-to-date guidance
- cater for business needs in accordance with competition rules.
The aim is to have revised rules in place for when the current rules expire.
See also: EU competition rules – revision of the Vertical Guidelines.
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New legislation
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