Commission, European

De minimis notice

Institution Definition

Communication from the Commission clarifying under what conditions the impact of an agreement or practice on competition within the common market can in its view be considered to be non-appreciable, namely where the aggregate market share of the undertakings involved remains below certain thresholds. In addition, agreements between small and medium-sized enterprises are said to be rarely capable of significantly affecting trade between Member States or competition within the common market, they will in any event not normally be of sufficient Community interest to justify intervention. In short, agreements or practices falling under the "de minimis" notice are considered to be of minor Community importance and are not examined by the Commission under EU competition law. Certain cases may, however, be examined by national competition authorities. © European Commission

See Notice on agreements of minor importance which do not appreciably restrict competition under Article 101(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (De Minimis Notice) (OJ C 291, 30.8.2014, p. 1–4).

Articles

Caroline Heide-Jørgensen Denmark: An overview of competition law rules

May 2023

This article shall provide a brief overview of the Danish competition law regime. Denmark got its first modern EU-style Competition Act in 1997. The conformity with EU rules was not complete from the beginning, but over the years, the Danish competition law regime has grown more and more EU (...)

Anne C. Witt, Pierre Chellet, Victor Levy, Eric Paroche, Thorsten Mäger, Robert Van Mastrigt, Miranda Cole, Philipp Otto Neideck The Vertical Block Exemption Regulation

November 2022

On 1 June 2022, the new Block Exemption Regulation for Vertical Agreements, Regulation 2022/720, and its accompanying guidelines entered into force. It is the result of a lengthy and complex review process that aimed to make the Vertical Block Exemption Regulation fit for the digital age. This (...)

Stéphane Rodrigues Manuel de droit européen des aides d’État, Michaël KARPENSCHIF

February 2020

This section selects books on themes related to competition laws and economics. This compilation does not attempt to be exhaustive but rather a survey of themes important in the area. The survey usually covers publication over the last three months after publication of the latest issue of (...)

Jean-Philippe Kovar, Robert Kovar Anticompetitive object regarding Article 101 (1) TFEU : A difficult ’object’ to identify

February 2016

Article 101 TFEU prohibits all agreements between undertakings which have as their object or effect the prevention, restriction, or distorsion of competition within the internal market. If the distinction between restrictions of competition by object or by effect deals with the proof and (...)

Alain Ronzano, Bastien Thomas, Christelle Adjémian, Emmanuel Frot, Mathilde Brabant Competition journals: Oct. - Dec. 2014

January 2015

This section of the review Concurrences selects articles and working papers on themes related to competition laws and economics, mainly, but not only, in the English and French languages. This compilation does not attempt to be exhaustive but rather a survey on themes important in the area. The (...)

Laurence Idot The State Aid Modernization

December 2014

Launched on 8 May 2012, the State Aid Modernization (SAM), which was sought by Commissioner Almunia and will mark his mandate, has almost been completed. Many texts, including the new GBER were adopted at the beginning of the summer. Only one notice on the concept of state aid is still (...)

Ulrich Pfeffer The wait is over: German Parliament adopts new competition law rules

December 2013

Après plusieurs mois de controverse politique, le législateur allemand a adopté un nouvel amendement de la loi contre les restrictions à la concurrence (GWB). Entré en vigueur depuis le 30 juin 2013, cet amendement a pour objectif d’harmoniser le droit allemand de la concurrence avec le droit (...)

Alain Ronzano, Bastien Thomas, Christelle Adjémian, Emmanuel Frot, Mathilde Brabant Competition journals: April - June 2013

September 2013

1. General - Scope of application The ambivalence of the aims and technical instruments of competition law > J.-P. CHAZAL, T. PICOT and D. WAKED (Cah. dr. entr., May 2013, n° 3, Interview, p. 0) Focusing on the ambivalence of the aims and technical instruments of competition law, this round (...)

Alain Ronzano, Bastien Thomas, Christelle Adjémian, Emmanuel Frot Competition Journals: Jan. - March 2013

May 2013

1. General - Scope of application How Antitrust Lost Its Goal, B. ORBACH (Fordham Law Review, Vol. 81, 2013) In the 70 years since the enactment of the Sherman Act, competition has been the undisputed goal of competition law. The introduction of the consumer welfare test led to the (...)

Etienne Pfister, Gildas de Muizon, Joseph Vogel De minimis agreements: Should they be sanctioned?

February 2013

The De minimis communication of the European Commission defines under which conditions agreements between firms will not be considered to restrict competition in a sensitive way. The three contributions in this article discuss its effectiveness in promoting legal security for firms, especially (...)

Alain Ronzano, Bastien Thomas, Christelle Adjémian, Emmanuel Frot Competition journals: July - Sept. 2012

December 2012

1. General - Scope of application Moody’s note: the agricultural sector in the face of competition law, a topic for the campaign? , L. Givry and P. Guibert (RLDA May 2012, 71, No. 4044, p. 80) The advisory function of the Competition Authority, a new regulatory instrument? M. BAZEX (D. Adm., (...)

Elisabeth Eklund Resale Price Maintenance: A synthesis of 13 national reports

February 2011

Le présent rapport, préparé à l’occasion du congrès international LIDC à Bordeaux (du 30 septembre au 3 octobre 2010) est consacré aux différents systèmes de prix de vente imposés. Ce rapport, établit sur la base d’un questionnaire, réunit treize contributions nationales, dont celles de dix pays de l’Union (...)

Laurence Idot Focus on "mutations" of State aid law

February 2010

State aid policy, a specificity of European Union law, is at the heart of the current financial and economic crisis. Although such an evolution could not have been foreseen, the review of this policy, in the context of the Lisbon strategy, has been at the heart of the EU Competition Policy (...)

Bertrand Guerin, Frank Röhling Germany: Recent developments in merger control

December 2008

The purpose of this article is to highlight the main rules of German merger control in light of the recent decisional practice of the Federal Cartel Office and the case-law of the German courts. Firstly, we will show that German merger control law is applied very widely in practice (for example (...)

Agnès Maitrepierre, Alain Ménéménis, Amandine Zelenko, Anne Fort, Carine Soulay, Christian Lambert, Christopher Bellamy KC, David Spector, Denys de Béchillon, Emmanuel Glaser, Eric Ginter, François Tanguy, Guylain Clamour, Jacques Biancarelli, Jacques Derenne, Jean-Christophe Moraud, Jean-Claude Bonichot, Jean-Louis Colson, Jean-Marc Sauvé, Jean-Yves Chérot, Laurent Richer, Marie-Christine Lepetit, Marie-Dominique Hagelsteen, Mario Monti, Philippe Martin, Pierre-François Racine State Aid Colloquium, 14 March 2008

September 2008

TABLE OF CONTENTS OPENING REMARKS Mr Jean-Marc SAUVÉ, Vice-President of the Conseil d’Etat Mr Mario MONTI, Former European Commissioner for Competition, President of the Bocconi University of Milan IS STATE AID CONTROL POLICY A COMPETITION POLICY? Introduction: Mrs Marie-Dominique (...)

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p r s t u v w

a

Absolute territorial protection • Abuse of dominant position • Abuse of economic dependence • Access to essential facility • Access to information • Access to the file • Actual competitor • Administered prices • Advocacy • Agency agreement • Agent • Agreement (notion) • Amicus curiae • Ancillary restraints • Annulment • Anticompetitive object or effect • Anticompetitive practices • Antitrust • Applicable law • Arbitration • Article 11 letter • Automotive distribution

b

Barriers to entry • Bertrand (Nash) equilibrium • Bid rigging • Black cause • Block exemption (Regulation) • Boycott • Brand competition • Bundling • Burden of proof • Business secrets • Buyer power

c

Cartel • Clearance phase I (merger) • Clearance phase II (merger) • Collecting society • Collective dominance • Collective redress (class action) • Collusion • Comity • Commission Notice • Competence • Competition policy • Complaint • Compliance programme • Compulsory license • Concentration indexes • Concerted practices • Concession • Concurrent jurisdiction • Consortium • Consumers protection • Consumers’ associations • Control (change) • Control (notion) • Cooperation Agreement • Cooperation between competition authorities • Coordinated effects • Copyright • Corporate group • Corruption • Cost-based access • Cournot (Nash) equilibrium • Criminal sanctions • Cross subsidisation

d

Damages • Dawn raids • De minimis notice • Digital Markets Act • Direct effect • Discriminatory practices • Distribution agreement • Divestiture • Dominance (notion)

f

Failing firm defence • Fidelity rebates • Fine • Fine mitigating • Foreign direct investment (FDI) • Foreign Subsidies • Form CO • Franchising • FRAND • Free riding

g

GAFAM • Geographic market • Group purchasing organization • Guidelines • Gun jumping

h

Hard core restrictions • Hearing officer • Horizontal agreement • HSR Filing (US)

i

Imputability • Independence and impartiality • Individual exemption • Industrial policy • Intellectual property right • Inter-brand competition • Interim measures • International co-operation • International competition network (ICN) • Investigations / inquiries

j

Joint control • Joint venture • Judicial review

k

Know-how

l

Legal privilege • Leniency • Lerner index • Letter of formal notice • Letter of rejection of complaints • Licensing • Limitation period • Low prices

m

Mandatary (distribution) • Margin squeeze • Marginal costs • Market economy investor • Market of goods or services • Market power • Market share • Media pluralism • Merger (notion) • Merger (prohibition) • Merger (withdrawal) • Merger control procedure • Merger remedies • Minority shareholdings • Misinformation • Monopoly

n

Ne bis in idem • Network effect • Non-compete obligation • Notification • Nullity

o

Oligopoly

p

r

R&D agreement • Referral (merger) • Refusal to deal • Regulated prices • Regulation • Relevant market • Remedies (antitrust) • Request for information • Resale below cost • Resale price maintenance (RPM) • Restriction on exportation • Right against self-incrimination • Rights of defence • Rule of reason

t

Technology transfer • Test SIEC (merger) • Test SLC (merger) • Transfer pricing • Transparency • Trustee (mergers) • Turnover threshold (merger) • Two-sided market • Tying or tied selling

u

Undertaking (notion) • Unfair commercial practices • Unfair competition • Universal service • Upstream market

v

Variable costs • Vertical agreement • Vertical restraints (or restrictions)

w

White clause