Competition Policy in the EU
Latest news on competition policy in the European Union.
European rail companies fined EUR 48m for customer allocation cartel
The European Commission fined Austrian, Belgian and German railway companies a total of EUR 48 million Tuesday for breaching EU antitrust rules by taking part in a customer allocation cartel.
Brussels adopts greener state aid guidelines for EU regions
The Commission revised its regional state aid guidelines Monday, setting out the rules under which EU states can grant aid to companies to support economic development in disadvantaged regions.
EU okays EUR 2.9 bn battery innovation project
The Commission gave its approval under EU state aid rules Wednesday to a second Important Project of Common European Interest to support research and innovation in the battery value chain.
EU fines Steam gaming platform for 'geo-blocking'
The EU Commission has fined Valve, owner of online PC gaming platform 'Steam', with publishers Bandai Namco, Capcom, Focus Home, Koch Media and ZeniMax EUR 7.8m for breaching antitrust rules.
Amazon charged with breaching EU antitrust rules
The European Commission informed Amazon Tuesday of its preliminary view that the American e-commerce giant has breached EU antitrust rules by distorting competition in online retail markets.
Brussels settles antitrust chips dispute with Broadcom
The EU Commission accepted commitments by Broadcom Wednesday to suspend exclusivity agreements and/or leveraging provisions for Systems-on-a-Chip used in TV set-top boxes and Internet modems.
EU fines car parts cartel EUR 18m
The Commission fined car parts suppliers Brose and Kiekert a total of EUR 18 million Tuesday for taking part in two cartels concerning supplies of closure systems for cars in the European Economic Area.
Brussels to appeal Apple tax state aid case in Ireland
The EU Commission decided Friday to appeal a European Court of Justice judgement which annulled a 2016 EC decision finding that Ireland granted illegal State aid to Apple through selective tax breaks.
Google's proposed Fitbit buy under full EU investigation
The EU Commission opened Tuesday an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed acquisition of Fitbit by Google over the amount of data Google could use for personalisation of the ads it serves.
EU complies with WTO Airbus rulings, wants US tariffs lifted
The governments of France and Spain agreed with Airbus Friday to modify the terms of a 'repayable launch investment' granted by them for development of the A350 aircraft to reflect market conditions.
Restrict aid to companies with links to tax havens, says Brussels
The European Commission recommended Tuesday that EU Member States do not grant financial support to companies with links to countries that are on the EU's list of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions.
EU seeks to bolster trade defence again foreign state-subsidised takeovers
The EU Commission adopted Wednesday a White Paper dealing with distortive effects of foreign subsidies in the Single Market, in a bid to defend European companies from foreign state-subsidised takeovers.
Brussels opens antitrust probe into Apple Pay
The European Commission opened a formal antitrust investigation Tuesday to assess whether Apple's conduct in connection with Apple Pay, such as its terms and conditions, violates EU competition rules.
Coronavirus: EU approves UK SME support schemes
The EU Commission on Thursday approved two separate UK State aid schemes to support small and medium-sized enterprises in the context of the coronavirus outbreak.
EU extends liner shipping antitrust exemption for 4 years
The EU on Tuesday prolonged for another four years the regulation outlining conditions under which liner shipping consortia can provide joint services without infringing EU antitrust rules.
Coronavirus: EU set to relax state aid rules to support Europe's economy
The EU Commission sent a proposal to Member States Monday for a temporary state aid framework to support Europe's businesses in the context of the shocks the corona virus is causing to the economy.
Brussels imposes new anti-dumping duties on Chinese steel
The EU Commission decided Wednesday to impose anti-dumping duties on imports of steel road wheels originating in China, to be in place as of tomorrow and to remain in place for a 5-year period.
State aid for Beziers airport, Ryanair link in EU probe
The European Commission opened an investigation Monday into whether operating aid granted to Béziers airport in France and marketing agreements with Ryanair are in line with EU State aid rules.
EU tells Romania to recover EUR 570m 'incompatible aid' from rail freight operator CFR Marfa
Rail freight operator CFR Marfa received at least EUR 570m 'incompatible state aid' from Romania through debt write-off and failure to collect debts from the company, the EU Commission said Monday.
Proposed savings from Chrysler-Peugeot merger look unlikely and UK may bear brunt
Commenting on the merger between Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot, John Colley, Associate Dean of Warwick Business School and an expert on company mergers, said:
