The ruling issued by the Supreme Court on 29 January 2015 finally clarifies the limits to be applied to sanctions imposed for infringements for the Act on Defence of Competition: the percentages laid down in article 63 shall apply to the total turnover of the breaching entity, not only to...

International legal practice Osborne Clarke has advised Babcock Marine & Technology of the Babcock International Group plc. on the acquisition of 50% of the OKEANOS Joint Venture from Bernhard Schulte Group. The transaction is subject to applicable merger clearance. The OKEANOS Joint Venture will focus on the use and development...

On 7 October 2016, the European Commission published proposed changes to the EU merger control rules (see here ) for consultation. The consultation builds on the Commission’s previous work aimed at cutting red tape and simplifying the clearance procedure for transactions that are unlikely to give rise to competition concerns...

On 12 October 2016, the Department for Transport (DfT) published the Government’s response to the Competition and Market Authority’s (CMA) recommendations in relation to the Bus Services Bill. In relation to bus franchising, DfT has accepted the CMA’s recommendations that the new legislation should include provisions that: Local Transport Authorities...

Here is this month’s Competition Law Update. Regulation of the digital economy continues to present challenges for European competition authorities. The European Commission is looking at whether merger control should be adapted to capture small companies with Big Data or IP, while the new Head of the French Competition Authority...

Following the adoption of new Guidelines on Fines in 2014, the Italian Antitrust Authority (“ IAA ”) now offers a reduction in fines of up to 15% when the company under investigation operates an effective compliance program. As the cases develop, it is clear that the IAA is keen to...

The issue of rate parity clauses continues to develop across the EU. This year has seen investigations in multiple member states, often with divergent approaches: Germany banning ‘most favoured nation’ clauses (read more here ) and France and Italy seeking to legislate on the issue (read more here ). To...

One of the most controversial powers of competition authorities, which the Spanish Commission on Markets and Competition in particular practices, is the carrying out of surprise inspections. “Dawn raids” have been particularly controversial in Spain, with several inspections challenged before the courts in recent years. Practical guidance Although the powers...

On 21 July 2016, the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) published its final report in its market review into the supply of indirect access to payment systems. This follows a year-long review, interim findings in March 2016 and responses to the interim report. Background: what was the PSR looking at? The...