Competition Policy in the EU
Latest news on competition policy in the European Union.
EU approves capital injection into Irish Educational Building Society
The European Commission has authorised under EU state aid rules an emergency recapitalisation worth €875 million in favour of the Irish Educational Building Society (EBS) for a period of six months as urgent rescue aid.
EU approves acquisition of Mobil Oil Austria by ENI
The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of Mobil Oil Austria by Agip Austria, which is wholly controlled by ENI of Italy.
Revised EU competition rules for the motor vehicle sector - briefing
The European Commission has adopted new competition rules for agreements between vehicle manufacturers and their authorised dealers, repairers and spare parts distributors. The new rules will increase competition in the market for repair and maintenance by improving access to technical information needed for the repairs and by making it easier to use alternative spare parts. They will allow the Commission to tackle manufacturers' abuse of warranties when they request that cars are serviced only in authorised garages. The new rules will also reduce distribution costs for new cars by eliminating overly restrictive rules.
EU okays Italian compensation for power cuts in Sardinia and Sicily
The European Commission has authorised under EU State aid rules a scheme designed to remunerate companies for the provision of instant interruptibility services (the acceptance of power cuts to avoid black outs) in Italy's largest islands, Sardinia and Sicily.
Belgium-Umicore arrangement 'not state aid': Commission
The European Commission has closed its investigation into an arrangement between Belgium and Belgian-based multinational materials technology company UMICORE, which it says does not constitute state aid.
EU approves EUR 10m aid for Dutch energy-saving project
The European Commission has authorised The Netherlands to provide a grant of 10 million euros to Nuon Energy Sourcing NV for a CO2 capture demonstration project.
EU authorises temporary Finnish financial aid to farmers
The European Commission authorised a Finnish scheme with a budget of €22 million which aims at supporting farmers in Finland who encounter difficulties as a result of the current economic crisis. Aid under this scheme can be granted until 31 December 2010 and will take the form of a direct grant.
European Commission authorises acquisition of Vedici by the 3i investment group
The European Commission has cleared, under the EU Mergers Regulation, the proposed acquisition of the French Vedici group of healthcare facilities by the British investment group 3i.
EC approves joint venture between TOTAL and ERG
The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed merger of Total Italia and Erg Petroli (EGP), both of Italy, into a new joint venture, active in the refined oil sector.
European Commission approves restructuring of Belgian insurance company Ethias
The European Commission has approved under EU state aid rules a €1.5 billion recapitalisation provided by Belgium in the context of the restructuring of Ethias, a Belgian insurer that ran into severe difficulties in 2008, in the wake of the financial crisis.
Antitrust briefing: Commission adopts first cartel settlement decision
The European Commission today adopted its first settlement decision in a cartel case involving 10 producers of memory chips or DRAMS used in computers and servers. The fine totalling € 331 273 800 million includes a reduction of 10% for the companies' acknowledgement of the facts. Cartel settlements allow the Commission to speed up investigations, free up resources to deal with other cases and generally improve the efficiency of its antitrust enforcement.
Commission approves acquisition of NWR Energy by Dalkia Česká republika
The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the acquisition of NWR Energy by Dalkia Česká republika, two Czech companies active in the energy sector.
Commission approves tax exemptions for Finnish Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
The European Commission has authorised under EU state aid rules the introduction of "Real Estate Investment Trusts" (REITs) in Finland that will be exempted from corporate income tax in order to encourage investment in affordable rental housing.
EU clears Swedish restructuring aid for Carnegie Investment Bank
The European Commission has granted final clearance under the EU state aid rules to the Swedish aid for the restructuring of Carnegie Investment Bank.
State aid: Commission to investigate EUR 20 million capital injections into Elan of Slovenia
The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation under EU State aid rules into capital injections destined to two subsidiaries of state owned company Elan Skupina in Slovenia.
EU approves acquisition of 50Hertz by Elia and Industry Funds Management
The European Commission has authorised under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of joint control over the German transmission system operator 50Hertz Transmission GmbH by Elia System Operator SA/NV of Belgium and Industry Funds Management Pty Ltd (IFM) of Australia.
EU greenlights Otto's acquisition of various Quelle assets
The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition by the German Otto Group of certain assets of the Swiss home-shopping companies Quelle Versand AG i.L. (in liquidation) and Spengler Versand AG.
EU to revise competition rules for motor vehicle distribution and repair
On May 26, the European Commission is due to adopt new competition rules for agreements between vehicle manufacturers and their authorised dealers, repairers and spare parts distributors.
Commission's commitment decision opens German gas pipelines to competitors - Briefing
The European Commission has adopted a decision that renders legally binding commitments offered by E.ON to effectively open up access to the German gas market thereby addressing concerns that it may have unfairly shut out competitors in a possible abuse of its dominant market position.
E.ON's commitments open up German gas market to competitors
The European Commission has adopted a decision that renders legally binding commitments offered by E.ON to effectively open up access to the German gas market.
