Tags: Competition
Food labelling – National rules on mandatory indication of the country of origin
This is the third decision of the CJEU on the concept of “country of origin” in a (bit more than a) year.
Abuse of economic dependence – How to calculate potential fines?
After some last-minute delays, the Royal Decree of 31 July 2020 has introduced the concept of abuse of economic dependence in Belgium. Following this Royal Decree, the Belgian Competition Authority has now announced how it will calculate fines imposed on undertakings in such cases.
The new prohibition on abuses of economic dependence enters into force in Belgium
The Belgian Parliament introduced the prohibition on abuse of economic dependence in an Act of March 2019 to protect undertakings that are economically dependent on their suppliers or buyers.
Sports and competition law: An overview of EU and national case law
In 1974 the Court of Justice of the EU concluded in its famous Walrave and Koch case that sport is subject to EU law as far as it constitutes an economic activity.
The Belgian Competition Authority confirms that Belgian merger control rules apply to the creation of loco-regional hospital networks pursuant to the Act of 28 February 2019
Following the recent legislative amendment obliging hospitals to establish and be part of a loco-regional hospital network, the Belgian Competition Authority published on 22 July 2020 a note setting out the principles that will guide it when assessing the establishment of hospital networks and their possible qualification as a concentration under competition law.
Towards new EU rules for preventing packaging waste
The European Commission is collecting data and feedback from stakeholders about the European Union’s current rules on packaging and packaging waste.
The CJEU has clarified the transparency rules on the publication of online flight prices
On 23 April 2020, the Court of Justice of the EU clarified earlier case law that obliges each airline to indicate in its initial online price offer(s), the airfare and, separately, the taxes, charges, surcharges and fees that are unavoidable and foreseeable.
Belgian federal government restricts the sale of personal protective equipment and medical devices that can be used in the fight against Covid-19 – Updated
On 23 March 2020, a Ministerial Decree on special measures in the context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the basis of Book XVIII of the Code of Economic Law was adopted by the Belgian Minister of Economic Affairs, which restricts both the retail and wholesale distribution of certain types of personal protective equipment, as well as of medical devices used for treating Covid-19 patients.
EC has adopted temporary derogations from certain EU competition rules
On 30 April 2020, the European Commission adopted three implementing regulations allowing temporary derogations from the strict cartel prohibition provided for by EU competition law in three specific agricultural sectors: dairy, potato and live plants and flowers.
Ambitious Europe: the European Commission unveils its policy strategy on Artificial Intelligence
On 19 February 2020, the European Commission released its White Paper on Artificial Intelligence, which sets out policy options on how to achieve the double goal of (1) promoting the update of AI and (2) addressing the risks associated with certain uses of this technology.
Belgium takes measures to avoid medicine shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic
On 8 April 2020, the Belgian federal agency for medicines and health products adopted a consolidated version of its decision taking the following urgent measures for certain listed medicines to avoid medicine shortages during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
CJEU clarifies when reverse payment patent settlements can be anticompetitive
In its ruling of 30 January 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union (‘CJEU’) has clarified for the first time the criteria governing whether a reverse payment settlement agreement concerning a dispute between the holder of a pharmaceutical patent and a manufacturer of generic medicines is contrary to EU competition law.