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State aid
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02/03/2023
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Commission extends in-depth investigation into Germany's plans for early closure of lignite-fired power plants
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The European Commission has extended the scope of its ongoing in-depth inquiry into Germany's plans to compensate lignite-fired power plants operators for the early phase out. The extended investigation concerns an amendment to the agreement between Germany and RWE for the accelerated lignite phase-out in the Rhenish lignite mining area.
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01/03/2023
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Commission approves €2 billion French guarantee scheme to support energy-consuming companies in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine
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The European Commission has approved a €2 billion French guarantee scheme to support energy-consuming companies in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine. The scheme was approved under EU State aid rules, based on Article 107(3)(b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (‘TFEU'), recognising that the EU economy is experiencing a serious disturbance.
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28/02/2023
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Commission approves €89.6 million Hungarian investment aid to Samsung SDI's electric vehicle battery plant
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The European Commission has found Hungary's €89.6 million measure in favour of Samsung SDI to be in line with EU State aid rules. The investment aid will support the expansion of Samsung SDI's battery cell production facility for electric vehicle in Göd. The aid will contribute to the development of the region and to job creation, whilst preserving competition.
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Antitrust
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28/02/2023
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Commission sends Statement of Objections to Apple clarifying concerns over App Store rules for music streaming providers
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The European Commission has sent a Statement of Objections to Apple clarifying its concerns over App Store rules for music streaming providers.
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Conferences/Speeches
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02/03/2023
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A Triple Shift for competition policy
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Keynote delivered by EVP Vestager for the Keystone Conference,
Brussels, 2 March 2023.
[...] "one thing stands clear: whatever the multi-polar world order looks like; however digital we become; however much we advance on our green objectives, one thing will always be true – preserving fair competition will be our fundamental driver."
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01/03/2023
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EVP Vestager welcome address to the 7th Battery Ministerial
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Executive Vice-President Vestager's welcome address to the 7th Battery Ministerial,
Brussels, 1 March 2023.
[...] "What we are proposing is, first, to make the calculation of State aid simpler and its approval faster to accelerate the deployment of renewables and the decarbonisation of industrial processes. And second, to enable aid for accelerated investments in strategic sectors that are at risk of relocation, like batteries, of course." [...]
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Events
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06/03/2023
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The DMA and app store related provisions
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Workshop of 6 March 2023 on“The DMA and app store related provisions” to discuss how to ensure effective compliance with the Digital Markets Act.
This workshop will address issues such as alternative in-app payment systems, steering and sideloading.
The view of third parties, including but not exclusively of those who are potential beneficiaries of the Digital Markets Act, will be an important input in ensuring practicable, transparent, and effective compliance solutions.
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20/04/2023
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Markets for People: First debate in Modena, Italy
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The Directorate-General for Competition is pleased to announce the first debate in the Markets for People series. It will take place at Fondazione San Carlo in Modena, Italy on 20 April, 2023. The title is Markets for People: La concorrenza e le sue regole al servizio della società [How competition and its rules can serve the people].
The Markets for People debate series is designed to clear the ground for an open and fact-based discussion on the economic and social implications of competition and its rules, and their impact on the daily lives of all citizens.
All debates – including Modena’s – are organized in close collaboration with national competition authorities, the European Commission Representations in EU countries, and local Europe Direct centers. The objective is to encourage local and national participation and address topics that resonate with the public opinion.
The debates are open to the public. You can also follow them live or on demand via the series’ portal.
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20/06/2023
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Twenty Years of Reg. 1/2003: A (r)evolutionary tale
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DG COMPETITION will celebrate twenty years of EU antitrust enforcement under Regulation 1/2003 with a conference that will bring together leading experts to discuss and reflect on the achievements, needs and challenges of the current antitrust procedural framework.
Attendees will have the opportunity to hear insights and reflections from keynote speakers including enforcers, private practitioners, in-house counsels and academics, and participate in panel discussions.
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Publications
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COMP papers nominated for Antitrust Writing Awards 2023
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We are pleased to announce that a number of DG COMP colleagues have written papers which have been nominated in the Concurrences Antitrust Writing Awards 2023.
Three of the papers were nominated for the “Soft Law” section:
- Antitrust category: Joint statement by the European Competition Network (ECN) on the application of competition law in the context of the war in Ukraine;
- Concerted Practices category: Guidelines on the application of Union competition law to collective agreements regarding the working conditions of solo self-employed persons 2022/C 374/02;
- Cross-Border Issues category: Guidelines on State aid for climate, environmental protection and energy 2022.
Moreover, two academic articles were also nominated:
- Private enforcement category: The unsung harmony of Sumal and the Akzo line of case law, by Niklas Brueggemann;
- Cross-Border Issues category: The uneven playing field: How to deal with foreign subsidies when assessing mergers?, by Thibault Sire.
Last, but not least, one business article:
- Digital category: Mergers in Big Tech: An overview of EU and national case law, by Alessandro Massolo.
The goal of the awards is to shine a light on competition scholarship, contribute to competition advocacy and to discover the best antitrust content published over the last year.
Winners will be announced at the Antitrust Writing Awards Ceremony, which will this year take place on Tuesday, March 28, 2023, on the eve of the ABA Antitrust Spring Meeting, in Washington, D.C.
You can vote for your favorite papers until 14th March 2023.
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Public consultations
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06/02/2023 - 06/03/2023
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Distortive foreign subsidies – procedural rules for assessing them
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In June 2022, the Council and European Parliament provisionally agreed on a regulation to make foreign subsidies subject to the same scrutiny as EU subsidies.
This initiative sets out the rules on applying the regulation:- procedures for notifying, and content of, notifications of concentrations and public procurement bids
- rules for calculating time limits
- procedural rules on preliminary reviews and in-depth investigations in cases of suspected distortive foreign subsidies.
See also the Commission's press release.
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10/01/2023 - 24/04/2023
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Sustainability agreements in agriculture – consultation on draft guidelines on antitrust exclusion
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The European Commission invites all interested parties to comment on its draft proposal for Guidelines on how to design sustainability agreements in the field of agriculture using the novel exclusion from EU competition rules introduced during the recent reform of the common agricultural policy. The draft Guidelines aim at clarifying how operators active in the agri-food sector can design joint sustainability initiatives in line with Article 210a.
See also the Commission's press release.
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Open calls for tender
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13/01/2023 - 10/03/2023
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Survey of Practitioners on the Deterrent Effects of EU Competition Enforcement
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A correct measurement of the deterrent effects EU competition enforcement is of crucial importance for determining the overall impact of competition policy enforcement, as such indirect effects largely outweigh the direct effect of competition policy interventions. The most commonly used method to estimate deterrent effects relies on surveys, which interrogate companies and their legal advisors about the effects of competition policy interventions on company behaviour. The aim of the present study is to provide an update of the existing survey-based evidence as regards the scale of the deterrent effects of EU competition policy enforcement.
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07/02/2023 - 24/03/2023
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Provision of Services and Support for Policy Studies and Collection of Information from Past Commission Decisions in the Area of Competition Policy
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The subject of this call for tenders is the provision of services, support for policy studies and collection of information from past Commission decisions in the area of competition policy. The call is divided in two lots. Lot 1 concerns evaluation studies, impact assessments and public consultations, preparation of analytical reports or market studies, policy briefs, workshops, interviews, focus groups and expert panels. Lot 2 concerns services related to the collection of information from past Commission decisions and the delivery of such information forming a comprehensive database.
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New legislation
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