1 / 17

GD Dr. Theodor Thanner European Competition Day, 13 and 14 May 2009, Brno, Czech Republic

B UNDES W ETTBEWERBS B EHÖRDE Federal Competition Authority of Austria. GD Dr. Theodor Thanner European Competition Day, 13 and 14 May 2009, Brno, Czech Republic. Regulation 1/2003 - 5 years on -. B UNDES W ETTBEWERBS B EHÖRDE.

gurit
Download Presentation

GD Dr. Theodor Thanner European Competition Day, 13 and 14 May 2009, Brno, Czech Republic

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. BUNDESWETTBEWERBSBEHÖRDE Federal Competition Authority of Austria GD Dr. Theodor Thanner European Competition Day, 13 and 14 May 2009, Brno, Czech Republic

  2. Regulation 1/2003- 5 years on - BUNDESWETTBEWERBSBEHÖRDE „Form is the sworn enemy of caprice, the twin sister of liberty. […]“ Jhering, Geist des römischen Rechts auf den verschiedenen Stufen seiner Entwicklung, 2. Theil, 2. Abteilung, 3. Auflage 1875 U 470.

  3. An Expedition BUNDESWETTBEWERBSBEHÖRDE 27 mountaineers with EC-equipment climbing a mountain

  4. Edward Theodore Compton, 1918 Großglockner, 3798m

  5. Content BUNDESWETTBEWERBSBEHÖRDE • ECN • Cooperation • Principle of Subsidiarity • Regulation 1/2003 quo vadis? • Best placed authority • Limits of NCAs’ investigative powers • The role of the judge • Legal Protection • The Role of Regional Cooperation within ECN • Outlook

  6. ECN BUNDESWETTBEWERBSBEHÖRDE Cooperation Best placed authority New investigative powers Exchange of information and evidence

  7. Cooperation BUNDESWETTBEWERBSBEHÖRDE Principle of Subsidiarity Communication Transparency Confidentiality

  8. Principle of SubsidiarityArt 5 EC-Treaty BUNDESWETTBEWERBSBEHÖRDE • It is a guiding principle for defining the boundary between MS and EU • Exclusive competence of EC – subsidiarity principle does not apply • Shared competence of MS and EC – decentralisation • EC only if objectives cannot be achieved sufficiently by MS and if they can be better achieved by the EC

  9. Reg 1/2003 quo vadis?Case Study - Best placed authority BUNDESWETTBEWERBSBEHÖRDE • EC - MS: partnership marked by division of tasks • Priority setting by Competition Authorities • Petrol markets no priority of the EC – shifted to national level • NCA took responsibility and investigated

  10. Reg 1/2003 quo vadis?Case Study – Limits of NCAs‘ investigative powers BUNDESWETTBEWERBSBEHÖRDE • Sector inquiry into fuel markets: national investigations > good results • European retail- and wholesale prices are linked to these notations > notations have tremendous impact on price developments • FCA of Austria (A) cannot send formal information requestsdirectlyto a company based in London • More transparency > more rational actions • Isn‘t there a need for regulation?

  11. Reg 1/2003 quo vadis? BUNDESWETTBEWERBSBEHÖRDE The role of the judges • Austria: Cartel Court as decision-making body • Is coherent application of Community rules ensured in national judiciary? • How could judges be more integrated in the ECN?

  12. Legal Protection BUNDESWETTBEWERBSBEHÖRDE • Transparency vs business secrets • Confidentiality between NCA vs confidentiality between law firms • Communication

  13. The Role of Regional Cooperation within ECN BUNDESWETTBEWERBSBEHÖRDE • An example of successful regional cooperation: • Marchfeld Competition Forum • 13 national authorities • First meeting: Schloss Hof (July 2008) • Second Meeting: Innsbruck (Feb 2009) • More information: http://www.bwb.gv.at/BWB/Marchfeld+Competition+Forum/default.htm

  14. The Role of Regional Cooperation within ECN BUNDESWETTBEWERBSBEHÖRDE • Objectives: strengthening of cooperation on regional level • Future tasks and prospects: • Competition and Financial Crisis • The importance of regional cooperation grows with the ECN‘s tasks and scope

  15. Outlook BUNDESWETTBEWERBSBEHÖRDE Cooperation based on partnership Transparency and communication New effective investigative powers More convergence in remaining fields Regional cooperation built upon the ECN‘s framework

  16. Conclusion BUNDESWETTBEWERBSBEHÖRDE Not to bend the rules but to stand the rules.

  17. BUNDESWETTBEWERBSBEHÖRDE Thank you for your attention!

More Related