The EU Commission adopts revised safe harbor rules for minor agreements and provides guidance on "by object" restrictions of competition

The European Commission has published revised safe harbor rules for agreements that are not deemed to appreciably restrict competition. This is the so-called "De Minimis Notice," the first version of which dates back to 2001. At the same time, the Commission also published guidance on the concept of restrictions of competition "by object." The main takeaways from the Commission’s initiative are the following: • The market share thresholds for the safe harbor remain unchanged; " • The De Minimis Notice now clarifies that agreements that restrict competition "by object" do not benefit from the De Minimis Notice; " • With the accompanying Staff Working Document, the Commission has for the first time published specific guidance on the concept of "restriction of competition by object,"