Competition Disputes

Short Reads - In two recently published Dutch District Court judgments, the high evidentiary standard for invoking competition law arguments in civil proceedings was confirmed.

Articles - Dans l’arrêt du 28 février 2018, la Cour de justice donne son avis sur la possibilité pour un soumissionnaire de rectifier, pendant la phase de sélection et moyennant paiement d’une amende, son dossier de soumission imparfait par un ajout et/ou commentaire. La Cour précise que cette mesure n’est, en principe, valable que si la nature de l’irrégularité constatée permet une rectification ultérieure et que le montant de l’amende est proportionnel à l’importance de l’irrégularité constatée. 

Short Reads - On 10 April 2018, the European Court of Justice ruled that Germany did not breach EU law by extraditing an Italian citizen to the United States for a competition law infringement in a situation where Germany's constitutional law does not permit extradition of its own nationals. The case highlights that extradition to the US for competition law infringements can be a real possibility for EU citizens.

Short Reads - On 29 March 2018, the District Court of Amsterdam ruled on requests for pre-procedural hearings in relation to the alleged infringements in the two separate cases of Trucks and CRT. This is the first time a Dutch court has ruled on a request for a pre-procedural hearing in follow-on damages cases. The District Court of Amsterdam rejected both requests because it did not consider it likely that a pre-procedural hearing would be useful in either case.

Short Reads - On 7 June 2018, the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) rendered its judgment on the appeals lodged by Pfizer and Flynn against the decision of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) imposing fines on the two companies for allegedly engaging in excessive pricing practices.

Articles - Het Hof van Justitie verduidelijkt in een arrest van 28 februari 2018 dat een regeling waarbij een inschrijver in de selectiefase verzocht wordt om tegen betaling van een boete diens gebrekkige inschrijving via een aanvulling en / of toelichting recht te zetten in beginsel aanvaardbaar is – voor zover (i) de aard van de vastgestelde onregelmatigheid een a posteriori rechtzetting toelaat en (ii) de omvang van de geldboete evenredig is met de zwaarwichtigheid van de vastgestelde onregelmatigheid.

Short Reads - On 12 April 2018, the District Court of Rotterdam quashed four fines imposed by the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) on cold storage operators and their respective directors for violating the cartel prohibition. The fines have been annulled as a result of numerous deficiencies in the ACM's investigation and reasoning.   

Short Reads - On 26 April 2018, the European Commission proposed a draft EU Regulation on key aspects of the contractual relationship between online platforms and their business users. The aim of the proposed Regulation is to create a fair and transparent business environment for smaller businesses and traders that use online search engines and online platforms to reach consumers. The proposed Regulation would be the first EU legislation to specifically address business-to-business relationships of this kind.