Enforcing European Competition Law Through Leniency Programmes in the Light of Fundamental Rights PDF Download

Author: Emma Salemme
Publisher:
ISBN: 9783845297170
Category : Antitrust law
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
"The entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty has increased the importance of fundamental rights, attributing the same legal value to the CFR as the EU treaties, and opening up the possibility of the EU's accession to the ECHR. In this context, this book analyses whether the current level of fundamental rights protection in leniency procedures falls within the parameters of accepted ECHR standards. This book demonstrates that the leniency procedure is not fully compatible with fundamental rights and general principles, and proposes a new programme, which can reconcile the public interest in an effective and efficient leniency programme with the protection of the fundamental rights of the parties involved in the procedure."--

Author: Baskaran Balasingham
Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.
ISBN: 9041184805
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
The European Union (EU) leniency programme is a key weapon in the Commission’s fight against hard-core cartels. Much of the success of EU cartel enforcement depends on the continued effectiveness of the leniency policy and is especially critical in response to the growth of private enforcement. This book offers a comprehensive description of the development of the policy, along with a normative framework that promises to ensure the full legitimacy of the leniency programme: the Commission’s policy should pursue not only effectiveness but also fairness. It is the first work to extensively analyse the effectiveness and fairness in the EU leniency policy. Proceeding systematically from clarifying the concepts of ‘effectiveness’ and ‘fairness’ to addressing the tension between leniency and private actions for damages, the author discusses the nature of, and interrelations among, such aspects as the following: – the theoretical model of the EU fining policy; – the compatibility of the EU enforcement system with fundamental rights protection; – the gathering and evaluation of evidence at the preliminary investigation stage; – the severity and foreseeability of the EU cartel fines; – judicial review by the EU Courts in competition matters; – to what extent the current policy is effective and fair; and – reforms brought about by the 2002 and 2006 Leniency Notices and the leniency-related amendments by the 2014 Antitrust Damages Directive. A key feature is the author’s presentation of a normative framework to test the effectiveness (deterrence) and substantive fairness (retribution) of the EU leniency policy. As a clear demonstration of how to forestall the danger of focusing on effectiveness of leniency at the expense of fairness, both in a substantive and in a procedural sense, this book is a major contribution to the literature of competition law. It will prove to be of great value to competition authorities, antitrust practitioners and interested academics not only in Europe but also throughout the world.

Author: Kai Hüschelrath
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3662439751
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 278

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Book Description
Over the past fifteen years, the optimal enforcement of EU competition law has become a major concern. This book contains a unique collection of articles by lawyers and economists on current issues in the public and private enforcement of competition law. Public enforcement has been strengthened in numerous ways – for example, through the introduction of a leniency programme and a substantial increase in fines for competition law violations. At the same time the EU Commission has been promoting private enforcement – for example, by developing a legal framework that grants victims of EU antitrust law infringements access to compensation. The contributions in this book address a range of topics in the area of competition law enforcement, including the role of fines and leniency programmes in public enforcement; access to evidence and the quantification of damages in private enforcement; and the interaction between public and private enforcement of competition law in Europe.

Author: A. Andreangeli
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 184844267X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 297

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Book Description
. . . Arianna Andreangeli s book can be strongly recommended. Academics and practitioners active in the field of competition law, EU law and human rights will certainly find much of interest in this book. Volker Soyez, European Competition Law Review This book is well structured and well written. . . The volume represents an important contribution to the existing legal literature on fundamental rights protection in the EU legal order from a competition law perspective. Giacomo Di Federico, Common Market Law Review This book discusses the procedural rights enjoyed by those being investigated under Articles 81 and 82 of the EC Treaty and of the Merger Control Regulation, and their right to challenge the Commission s decision in the Community Courts. It further assesses how their rights to due process in competition proceedings before the European Commission comply with the notion of administrative fairness enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights, in accordance with the case law of the European Court of Human Rights. In this study, Arianna Andreangeli takes into account key developments such as modernisation and its impact on competition proceedings before the Commission, the debate on the principles of legal professional privilege, the protection against self incrimination, the rule of ne bis in idem and the possibility of establishing an EU competition court . It offers an examination of the right to be heard, the right to have access to the Commission-held evidence, and to legal professional privilege, and the right to silence and to seek judicial review of Commission decisions and assess them in the light of the Strasbourg court s case law. Academics active in the area of competition law, EU law and human rights, as well as practitioners active in the area of competition law will find much to interest them in this book.

Author: Ingrid Margrethe Halvorsen Barlund
Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.
ISBN: 9403517255
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 426

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Book Description
Leniency has emerged as one of the main enforcement instruments used by competition authorities to combat cartels. Offering immunity from punishment is believed to destabilise already existing cartels and deter undertakings from entering into such arrangements. This book offers the first in-depth analysis of the scope of leniency in European Union (EU) competition law, considering three crucial ramifications – ensuring a leniency applicant can self-report with confidence, retaining the right to compensation of those who have suffered losses due to the cartel and furthering the objective of undistorted competition within the internal market. With thorough insight into the interaction between the Commission’s Leniency Notice and public and private enforcement, the author fully explains such aspects of the subject as the following: who is eligible for leniency; liability of an immunity recipient; the EU fining system; disclosure of leniency evidence; scope of public authorities reaching out to cartel infringers; the immunity recipient and follow-on damages claimants; the immunity recipient and subsequent leniency applicants; effect of the Damages Directive; and the European Economic Area dimension. The author offers cogent suggestions about how the shortcomings of the Commission’s leniency offer can be ameliorated and which regulatory steps should be taken to give the policy greater leverage. The author calls for increased harmonisation at national level in the EU and compares leniency practice in US antitrust law. As a comprehensive analysis of the practical application of current policy and procedure in EU cartel enforcement, the book clearly shows the ways in which the scope of leniency is manifest in the interaction between public and private enforcement, evaluating which interaction is most effective. Its practical character will be recognised and welcomed by competition law practitioners and policymakers, who will strengthen their grasp of leniency procedure and clearly discern implications for competition infringement cases.

Author: Michael Frese
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1782253823
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 454

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Book Description
In the early decades of European integration the enforcement of EU competition law was highly centralised. Virtually all enforcement actions under Articles 101 and 102 TFEU were initiated by the European Commission. More recently the enforcement of EU competition law has become less centralised - many would say even decentralised. In 2004, essentially in an effort to increase enforcement capacity in the wake of EU enlargement, the involvement of Member State competition authorities was significantly reinforced by national authorities being given power to pursue infringements of EU competition law largely on the basis of their domestic enforcement regimes. This combination of decentralisation and enforcement autonomy raises questions about the relationship between EU law and national law, as well as about the costs of enforcement. This new book links these questions by analysing how competences in the area of sanctions are distributed between EU and national law, and how this influences the costs of enforcement. The author's conclusions, which highlight the economic implications of the choices made by competition authorities, courts and legislators, will be of use to all the above in further developing EU competition policy. The PhD thesis on which this book is based was declared runner-up in the 2013 Concurrences Awards.

Author: Fransicso Enrique Gonzalez Diaz
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789077644348
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Due to the imminent accession by the European Union to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, it has become ever-more important to ensure that both the procedures, as well as the substantive application of European competition law by the European Commission and the EU Courts, are consistent with the protection of fundamental rights set out therein. This book will provide a unique insight into the possible main friction points between European competition law enforcement and the protection of fundamental rights, as well as an in-depth analysis of the key challenges lying ahead, in light of the case law of the EU Courts and of the European Court of Human Rights.

Author: Steven Van Uytsel
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1009183680
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 485

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Book Description
In response to cartel formation, competition lawyers and policymakers in nine Asian jurisdictions have experimented with leniency programmes. This mechanism allows firms to come forward with information in relation to their illegal cartel participation in return for a reduction of or immunity from a sanction. The experimentation plays out across three different dimensions: the revision of early adopted leniency programmes, the introduction of newly written leniency programmes, and the decision – deliberate or otherwise – not to create a leniency programme. This volume is the first to analyse the empirical evidence across a number of countries to determine how effective these measures have been, and how they have been amended in response to problems encountered. In this volume, local experts from key Asian jurisdictions, together with international experts, offer an introduction to this fast-developing field, and explore the theoretical, international and regulatory contexts of leniency programmes.

Author: OECD
Publisher: OECD Publishing
ISBN: 9264252630
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 216

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Book Description
Whistleblower protection is vital for: safeguarding public interest; promoting accountability and integrity in public and private institutions; and encouraging reporting of misconduct, fraud and corruption. This report analyses whistleblower protection standards in the public and private sectors.

Author: Luca Prete
Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.
ISBN: 9403535458
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 1148

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Book Description
For nearly twenty years, EU antitrust enforcement has been governed by Regulation 1/2003, which ushered in a sweeping reform of the procedures for the application of Articles 101 and 102 TFEU. This systematic article-by-article expert commentary on the Regulation, with additional perspectives and critical views by particularly experienced and qualified authors, provides an in-depth examination of the Regulation’s legal achievements, implications, and promise for the future. Analysis of each of the Regulation’s articles covers such aspects as: legislative history; rationale and context; practice of the Commission and, where relevant, of the national competition authorities; case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union; international aspects; and outstanding and problematic issues. Along with many of the article commentaries, ‘boxes’ have been added on specific issues of particular salience. The critical reflections of the book’s second part include perspectives from members and staff of the Court of Justice of the European Union and of the European Commission’s Directorate General for Competition and Legal Service, heads of national competition authorities and of national courts, counsel, economists, consumer organisations, and academics. There are also comparisons with various aspects of antitrust enforcement in France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States. With this unparalleled book, practitioners and in-house counsel, as well as case-handlers and policymakers, will approach any competition case before the Commission with full awareness of the applicable procedural rules. They will gain a clear understanding of the enforcer’s powers and duties, as well as of the various options available to the undertakings involved in antitrust proceedings and their rights.