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Effective Competition in Food and Retail Markets . Bruno Lasserre, Président de l’Autorité de la concurrence. EUROPEAN COMPETITION DAY, NICOSIA, October 2, 2012. I. Enforcement cannot go without advocacy. I. Enforcement cannot go without advocacy.
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Effective Competition in Food and Retail Markets Bruno Lasserre, Président de l’Autorité de la concurrence EUROPEAN COMPETITION DAY, NICOSIA, October 2, 2012
I. Enforcement cannot go without advocacy • Competition authorities should not refrain and have not refrained from enforcement • The Autorité’s experience in merger and antitrust cases • What have we learnt? • Advocacy demands from NCAs to devise competition-friendly solutions • Horizontal and vertical integration • Development of futures markets • “Contractualization”: non-binding terms an conditions that rule out price-fixing and price recommendations
II. What concrete options at European level to show that competition is part of the solution, and not the problem?
II. What concrete options at European level to show that competition is part of the solution, and not the problem? • Resisting the growing demand for a competition exemption in the food sector • Price agreements are inefficient in economic terms • Still some uncertainties to deal with the interpretation of the Milk package • risk of a spill-over from milk to fruit and vegetable, meat and more to come • Enlarging advocacy efforts to EU level • “Contractualization”: pros, cons and caveats may deserve reflection at EU level • Offering guidance on do’s and dont’s: what has been done and what can still be done • Guidelines on market definition ? • Mergers: how big is too big? • Stepping up advocacy and enforcement on both sides: retail distribution • Remaining regulatory and contractual barriers • Enforcement with oligopolies • Structural injunction: advocacy to follow the UK example?