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Competition Weekly Email Alert

In the News

Advocate General Kokott has delivered an opinion on the joined appeals by Alliance One International and Standard Commercial Tobacco Company, and the European Commission against a judgment of the General Court, which attributed liability to Alliance One and Standard Commercial Tobacco for the fine imposed on World Wide Tobacco España, SA for its participation in the Spanish raw tobacco cartel. AG Kokott did not

consider that any of the claims raised by the appellants showed that the General Court had erred in its application of the law relating to attribution of liability. Click here.

The CAT has published a judgment dismissing the appeal by TalkTalk challenging Ofcom's decision on the wholesale broadband access charge control. Click here.

EU

Mergers – invitation to comment

  • Saria/Teeuwissen/Jagero II/Quintet/Bioiberica. Click here.

Mergers – Article 9 referrals

Public Procurement

  • The European Commission has published for consultation a draft guide on elements of good practice for the procurement of standards-based information and communications technology. Click here.

State Aid

  • The new package of measures for the reform of the state aid rules on services of general economic interest has been published in the Official Journal. Click here, here, here and here.
  • The European Commission has decided to open a formal state aid investigation into inter-branch levies in France paid to members of the association for the development of professional horticulture and landscape products and sectors (Val'Hor), following concerns that a measure which allows for the financing of certain activities through compulsory levies constitutes state aid and may not be compatible with EU law. Click here.

Other

  • The European Commission has published a Green Paper consultation on developing an integrated European market for card, internet and mobile payments. Click here.

UK

Competition Commission

  • The CC has issued for consultation a notice of its intention to release Arriva Southern Counties Ltd from undertakings given following a monopoly investigation under the Fair Trading Act 1973. Click here.
  • The CC has published a notice to release Provident Financial plc from undertakings given following a 1981 monopoly investigation under the Fair Trading Act 1973. Click here.
  • The CC has published a notice to revoke the Credit Cards (Price Discrimination) Order 1990, which had been made following a monopoly investigation into the credit cards market under the Fair Trading Act 1973. Click here.

OFT

  • Mergers – invitation to comment: Solway Foods Limited/RF Brookes and Avana businesses (of Premier Foods Group); click here.
  • Mergers – cleared: Wärtsilä Corporation/Hamworthy plc;
  • Mergers – full text decisions: Richard Burbidge Limited/FW Mason & Sons Limited, click here; Princes Limited/Premier Foods Limited, click here.

Public Procurement

  • The Court of Appeal has delivered a ruling in which it considered whether certain contracts awarded by the Ministry of Justice should be classified as public service contracts or public service concessions. Click here.

Other

  • Ofcom has published a second consultation on its assessment of future mobile competition and proposals for the award of 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz spectrum (which is likely to be used for 4G services) and related issues. Click here.
  • The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has invited industry views on how the Mobile Infrastructure Project should be used to eliminate mobile "not spots" and improve mobile coverage. Click here.

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