Competition Weekly e-news

The European Commission has decided to refer the United Kingdom to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to fully recover illegal State aid of up to around €100 million, granted as a tax exemption for passive interest and royalties in Gibraltar, as required by a Commission decision. This case relates to facts that took place before the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union.

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a French scheme with a budget between €140 and €700 million to compensate ski lifts operators for the damages suffered due to the restrictive measures introduced by the government to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, three Finnish measures, with an overall budget of €350 million, to support airport operator Finavia in the context of the coronavirus outbreak.

The European Commission has found €351.38 million of Finnish support in favour of Finnair to be in line with EU State aid rules. The measure aims at compensating the airline for the damage suffered due to the coronavirus outbreak between 16 March and 31 December 2020.

The European Commission has opened a formal antitrust investigation to assess possible abusive behaviour by Public Power Corporation (‘PPC') in the wholesale Greek electricity sector.

The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Eaton's hydraulics business (“Eaton Hydraulics”) by Danfoss. The approval is conditional on full compliance with the commitments offered by Danfoss.

The European Commission's Directorate General for Competition together with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Canadian Competition Bureau, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority, the U.S. Department of Justice, and three Offices of Attorneys General launched today a Multilateral working group to analyse the effects of mergers in the pharmaceutical sector. The working group was initiated by the FTC and is in line with close cooperation between national competition authorities.

The Commission takes note of the judgment of the European Court of Justice that confirms the Commission’s decision of 2016 on Pometon SpA’s participation in the steel abrasives cartel.

Today’s judgment also brings clarity on the Commission’s approach for hybrid staggered settlement cartel cases.

The Commission also notes that the European Court of Justice has reduced the amount of the fine imposed on Pometon following its finding that the Commission had incorrectly determined the basic amount of that fine.

Speech by EVP Margrethe Vestager,
European Internet Forum,
17 March 2021.

[...] "the competition rules and the Digital Markets Act will work together in harmony, helping to make our digital markets work better for everyone.
And that’s the way it should be. The digital transition is reshaping our entire lives. And no one set of rules will make sure all these changes happen in a way that puts people first." [...]