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Polyvios Panayides

Chrysses Demetriades (Limassol)

Lawyer (Partner)

Polyvios’ practice focuses on dispute resolution and EU & Competition law. He has experience in litigation and arbitration proceedings in relation to a broad range of commercial and corporate disputes, not just in Cyprus but internationally. His cases typically involve shareholder and contractual disputes, civil fraud, obtaining and resisting freezing orders, jurisdictional challenges and enforcement of foreign judgments & arbitral awards. Polyvios is a Fellow of “The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators” since 2017. As part of his EU & Competition practice, Polyvios acts as adviser in all aspects of Cypriot and EU competition law and as counsel before the Cypriot Commission for the Protection of Competition and other national and European authorities and courts. His competition law experience includes transactional and contentious cases and spans across many industries with recent experience particularly in the consumer goods, shipping & ports and energy sectors. He also undertakes regulatory work and provides advice in various specialist areas heavily affected by EU law such as Data Protection, EU-Russia Sanctions, consumer law, energy markets regulation and environmental law. Polyvios brings particular expertise from his former position as a European Commission official in Brussels, from 2005 to 2010. While at the Commission, he was involved in a number of high-profile antitrust and merger control cases predominantly in the energy sector. He was also involved in the preparation and negotiation of EU legislation regulating the recognition and enforcement of judicial decisions and conflicts of jurisdiction between EU countries. During the 2012 “Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union”, Polyvios acted as chairperson of the Council Working Party discussing the proposal for the EU Directive regarding the European Investigation Order.

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Articles

2896 Bulletin

Assimakis Komninos, Polyvios Panayides The Cyprus Competition Authority imposes a fine of 750,000 Euro and behavioural remedies on an airport company (Hermes Airports)

23 June 2015 230

1. Background In its decision dated 23/6/2015 the Cypriot Commission for the Protection of Competition (the “CPC”) held that the operator of the Larnaca and Paphos international Airports in Cyprus, Hermes Airports Ltd, (hereafter referred as “Hermes”) violated Section 6(1)(a) of the Cyprus Law on (...)

Polyvios Panayides The Cyprus Commission for the Protection of Competition imposes a fine of 2.1 million Euro on the Cyprus Cattle-farmers Association (Cyprus Cattle-farmers Association)

17 October 2014 111

1. Background In its decision dated 17/10/2014 the Cypriot Commission for the Protection of Competition (the “CPC”) held that the Cyprus Cattle-farmers Association (also referred as “CCA” and the “association”) violated a number of provisions of the Cyprus Law on the Protection of Competition (“the (...)

Polyvios Panayides The Cypriot Competition Authority concludes that a transaction does not affect the current position of the acquirer and therefore decided that it did not raise serious doubts as regards its compatibility with the competitive market (Vicini / SLZA)

14 March 2014 128

Background On the 27th of December 2013, the Commission for the Protection of Competition (the «Commission») received a notification relating to the proposed acquisition by S.L.Z.A. S.A. («S.L.Z.A.») of 30% of the share capital of Vicini S.p.A. («Vicini»), in accordance with section 13 of the (...)

Polyvios Panayides The Cypriot Competition Authority rejects complaint filed by licensee of large shopping mall alleging abuse of economic dependence and discriminatory practices (Tiffany Investments)

19 March 2013 140

1. Background In its decision dated 19/3/2013 the Cypriot Commission for the Protection of Competition (the “CPC”) decided to reject a complaint which was filed by a shopping mall licensee (the “complainant”) against the two companies which respectively own and manage a large shopping mall located (...)

Polyvios Panayides The Cypriot Competition Authority declares that transaction by an SPV controlled by 4 natural persons who do not achieve any turnover is not notifiable (International Lease Finance Corporation / Jumbo)

8 March 2013 95

Background This case concerned a notification of a concentration purusnat to the Cyprus Law on the Control of Concentrations (the “Law”), by Jumbo GP Ltd (“Jumbo”), Jumbo Acquisition Ltd ( “Jumbo Acquisition”) and International Lease Finance Corporation (“ILFC”). Jumbo is a special purpose vehicle (...)

Polyvios Panayides The Cypriot Competition Authority fines two undertakings that failed to notify their merger (Excel-Serve Management / IFG)

15 February 2013 111

CYM7 Excel-Serve Management Ltd/IFG Group Plc Case No. 8.13.012.32 15.02.13 NCA Background The Decision of the Cyprus Commission for the Protection of Competition (“CPC”), relates to the acquisition of 100% of the shareholding of Excel-Serve Management Limited (“Excel-Serve”) by IFG Group Plc (...)

Polyvios Panayides The Cypriot Competition Authority holds that the provision of free pre-school education by State nurseries does not amount to an economic activity and that the termination of the provision of a number of benefits to private nurseries by the Stores of the Ministry of Education are not anti-competitive (Association of private nurseries)

15 September 2010 52

1. Background In a ruling pronounced on 15/9/2010 the Cypriot Commission for the Protection of Competition (CPC) decided to reject the complaint filed by the Cypriot Association of Private Nurseries (The complainant) against the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Cyprus (the Ministry) (...)

Augustijn Van Haasteren, Cyril Hariton, Krisztian Kecsmar, Pablo Asbo, Polyvios Panayides, Raphaël De Coninck The EU Commission approves, subject to conditions, an acquisition in the Belgian electricity market (EDF / Segebel)

12 November 2009 1291

EDF/Segebel (SPE) - More power to boost competition in Belgian energy markets* I. Introduction In September 2009, the Commission received a notification of a proposed concentration whereby Electricité de France («EDF») would acquire from Centrica, a UK energy company, a 100% stake in Segebel (...)

Miriam Driessen-Reilly, Polyvios Panayides, Raphaël De Coninck The EU Commission accepts, subject to conditions, a takeover of a company in the electricity sector (EDF / British Energy)

22 December 2008 147

I. Introduction On 24 September 2008, following ongoing talks with British Energy, EdF announced that it had agreed a takeover of the company for the sum of £12.5 billion. On 3 November 2008, given that the transaction had a Community dimension within the meaning of the Merger Regulation, EdF (...)

Philippe Chauve, Polyvios Panayides The EU Commission finds that Greece has infringed art. 86(1) in conjunction with art. 82 of the EC Treaty by maintaining the preferential access to lignite in favour of the incumbent Greek electricity provider (PPC)

5 March 2008 591

"The importance of access to fuels for competition in the electricity sector: the case of lignite in Greece"* On 5 March 2008 the Commission adopted a Decision finding that the Hellenic Republic had infringed Article 86(1) in conjunction with Article 82 of the EC Treaty by maintaining the (...)