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☆ Amazon reaches settlement in three EU antitrust cases, avoids fine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In the first case, Amazon faced charges of using its size, power and data to push its own products to gain an unfair advantage over rival merchants that also use its platform. The company has agreed not to use sellers' data for its own competing retail business and its private label products. The second case was about the equal treatment of sellers when ranking their offers for the "buy box" on its website that generates the bulk of its sales. In the third case, Amazon agreed that sellers under Amazon's Prime feature can choose their own logistics and delivery services, other than those approved and chosen by Amazon. These commitments address our preliminary competition concerns about Amazon practices on its e-commerce marketplace," EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager told a news conference.

☆ EU accepts Amazon commitments in antitrust agreement affecting data and sellers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The agreement includes several multi-year concessions offered by Amazon, including a commitment not to use third-party sellers’ data to benefit Amazon’s own marketplace listings, a practice that policymakers around the world have claimed is anticompetitive. As part of the deal, Amazon said it will treat all sellers on its platform equally when determining which seller to give top placement on Amazon product listings, and also agreed to several commitments linked to sellers’ terms under Amazon Prime. Those commitments will last for seven years, while the restrictions on Amazon’s use of seller data will last for five years. “Today’s decision sets new rules for how Amazon operates its business in Europe,” said EU Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager in a release. They cover the use of data, the selection of sellers in the Buy Box and the conditions of access to the Amazon Prime Program.

☆ Amazon avoids multibillion-dollar fine as it reaches EU antitrust settlement
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, announced Tuesday that Amazon had made a series of commitments to address allegations that the company was using independent sellers' data to its advantage. In November 2020, the Commission issued Amazon a statement of objections over its "systematic" use of non-public business data from independent sellers to benefit its own retail business. One of the commitments was to stop using non-public data on independent sellers for its retail business or for selling branded goods and private label products. In Italy, Amazon has agreed separate legal remedies with the country's competition regulator relating to the buy box and Prime. "With these new rules, competing independent retailers, carriers and European customers will have more opportunities and choice."

☆ EU warns Meta over Facebook Marketplace antitrust breach
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

European Union's antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said in a statement that she is concerned that Meta ties its dominant social network Facebook to its online classified ad services, which is called Facebook Marketplace. "This means Facebook users have no choice but to have access to Facebook Marketplace," she said. Facebook Marketplace was launched in 2016 and is used in 70 countries to buy and sell items. The Commission said on Monday that it was concerned that Meta is imposing "unfair trading conditions" on competitors of its own classified ads service, Facebook Marketplace, that want to advertise on its social networks Facebook or Instagram. The EU competition enforcer launched an investigation into Facebook in June last year, focusing on whether the social network unfairly uses advertisers' data to compete with them in the online classified ads sector.

☆ Meta could face $11.8 billion fine as EU charges tech giant with breaching antitrust rules
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Commission took issue with Meta's pairing of Facebook Marketplace with its personal social network. The European Union on Monday issued Facebook parent company Meta with a list of objections over of its online classifieds business, Facebook Marketplace. The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, said that it found Meta breached EU antitrust rules by distorting competition in the markets for online classified ads. It said it was concerned this arrangement gives Facebook Marketplace a "substantial distribution advantage that competitors cannot match." Tim Lamb, head of EMEA competition at Meta, said: "The claims made by the European Commission are without foundation."

☆ Deutsche bank, Rabobank hit with EU antitrust charge over bond cartel
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People are silhouetted next to the Deutsche Bank's logo prior to the bank's annual meeting in Frankfurt, Germany, May 24, 2018. REUTERS/Kai PfaffenbachBRUSSELS, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) and Rabobank (RABO.UL) were charged by EU antitrust regulators on Tuesday of taking part in a government bond cartel, the latest move against a sector which has racked up millions of euros in fines for various competition violations. Deutsche Bank said it does not expect any sanction, suggesting that it may have alerted the cartel to the authorities. "Deutsche Bank has proactively cooperated with the European Commission in this matter and as a result has been granted conditional immunity. In accordance with the European Commission’s guidelines, Deutsche Bank does not expect a financial penalty," the German lender said.

They issued a joint statement after the third ministerial-level of the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) vowed to work constructively to resolve it. EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis on Monday called the $430 billion U.S. Inflation Reduction Act discriminatory and urged steps be taken before year's end to modify the law. It offers consumers tax credits of $7,500 for new purchases of Tesla (TSLA.O), Ford (F.N) and other North American-made EVs that the EU fears will significantly hurt European. Other participants included U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and European Commission Vice President Margrethe Vestager. During a state visit to Washington last week, French President Emmanuel Macron told broadcaster CBS it was a "job killer" for Europe.

☆ EU Tells Illumina How to Unwind Deal to Buy Cancer-Test Developer Grail
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Kim Mackrael | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Margrethe Vestager, the head of the EU’s competition watchdog, which blocked Illumina’s acquisition of Grail in September. BRUSSELS—The European Union on Monday set out the details of an order requiring Illumina Inc. to unwind its $7.1 billion acquisition of cancer-test developer Grail Inc. The European Commission, the bloc’s competition watchdog, prohibited the acquisition in September over concerns that it would stifle innovation and hurt consumer choice. Illumina, which makes genetic-sequencing products, completed the acquisition in August 2021.

☆ Tax credits for EU electric vehicles to dominate U.S. trade talks
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. Secretary of State Blinken attends the Freedom of Expression Roundtable, in New York, U.S., September 19, 2022. The European Union's top trade official on Monday called for urgent steps before the end of the year to modify a U.S. climate law that would cut off the bloc's electric vehicles from U.S. tax credits, calling the measure discriminatory. EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis, speaking to Deutsche Welle before a meeting of the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) said the law threatened to undermine progress made by the year-old transatlantic forum. Dombrovskis said the EU was looking at how to make its own subsidies "more efficient" and potential increases in joint U.S.-EU financing. Participants include U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and European Commission Executive Vice Presidents Valdis Dombrovskis and Margrethe Vestager.

☆ Monday's EU-US trade talks overshadowed by tax concerns on climate measure
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( David Lawder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

COLLEGE PARK, Md., Dec 5 (Reuters) - Top European Union officials intend to complain loudly to their U.S. counterparts at a trade meeting on Monday about the bloc's electric vehicles being cut off from tax credits in U.S. President Joe Biden's signature climate law. "The Inflation Reduction Act will be part of the range of discussions on trade," a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said in a statement. The U.S. side was "committed to continuing to understand EU concerns" through a newly established task force, the spokesperson added. European and South Korean officials criticized the Inflation Act at the G20 Summit in Indonesia last month. French officials say they are hopeful an executive order from the White House could give European nations a break, without the need for seeking revisions from Congress - a move the White House wants to avoid.

☆ EU to adapt state aid schemes in response to U.S. subsidy package, von der Leyen says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, Dec 4 (Reuters) - The EU will adapt its state aid rules to prevent an exodus of investment triggered by a new U.S. green energy subsidy package, the bloc's chief executive said on Sunday. "Competition is good ... but this competition must respect a level playing field," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a speech in the Belgian city of Bruges. "The (U.S.) Inflation Reduction Act should make us reflect on how we can improve our state aid frameworks and adapt them to a new global environment," she added. The topic is one of several on the agenda of the EU-U.S. Trade and Technology Council meeting on Dec. 5. Reporting by Sabine Siebold and Riham Alkousaa; Editing by Gareth Jones and David HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Kronospan's remedies did not address concerns on Polish deal, EU's Vestager says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Austrian wood panel maker Kronospan failed to allay EU antitrust concerns over its bid for German wood maker Pfleiderer's Polish unit, EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said on Wednesday after the companies scrapped the deal. The European Commission opened a full-scale investigation into the deal in April and had subsequently planned to veto it, a person familiar with the matter said. The EU competition enforcer said remedies offered by Kronospan failed to ease its concerns over the creation of a dominant player in the raw and melamine-coated particleboards markets in Poland and the Baltics. "As the remedies offered by Kronospan did not address our competition concerns, we could not clear the transaction. We take note of Kronospan's decision to abandon their deal," she said.

☆ Spain to announce details on mortgage relief measures next Tuesday
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, Nov 18 (Reuters) - The Spanish government expects to unveil details of mortgage relief measures to help vulnerable households and middle-class clients cope with rising borrowing costs on such loans at the next cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the economy minister said. Nadia Calvino told reporters on Friday the government and banks were finalising work on expanding and improving an existing industry-wide code of good practice for that purpose. "I hope that in the next few hours we will reach an agreement so that we can present it on Tuesday," Calvino said during a joint news conference with European Union antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager. Calvino said the government and lenders were also working on measures to support middle-class families that may be at risk as a result of an accelerated rise in interest rates by the European Central Bank translating into higher mortgage rates. Reporting by Jesús Aguado, Emma Pinedo and Inti Landauro; editing by Andrei KhalipOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Twitter's blue tick helps media trustworthiness, EU's Vestager says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Bankrupt FTX's new CEO outlines fund abuses, untrustworthy records, article with videoTechnology category · November 18, 2022 · 2:04 AM UTCThe executive hired to steer FTX Group through bankruptcy offered his first findings of improper fund transfers and poor accounting at the collapsed crypto exchange, describing it as a "complete failure" of controls.

☆ EU competition chief says Elon Musk's push for paid Twitter verification is 'completely flawed'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailEU competition chief says Elon Musk's push for paid Twitter verification is 'completely flawed'Margrethe Vestager, executive vice president of the European Commission, discusses Twitter CEO Elon Musk's Blue subscription service, whereby users pay $7.99/month to obtain the social media platform's coveted blue check.

☆ Elon Musk's idea for paid Twitter verification is 'completely flawed,' EU competition chief says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS — Elon Musk's idea for a subscription model to pay for Twitter's sought-after blue check is "completely flawed," Europe's competition chief told CNBC Wednesday. "If you have imposter accounts, of course, I think your business model is fundamentally flawed," Margrethe Vestager, executive vice president of the European Commission, told CNBC at an event in Brussels, Belgium. I think that business model simply is completely flawed," she added. New Twitter CEO and sole director Elon Musk said Tuesday that the service would be relaunched on Nov. 29. Vestager, herself, said she remembers when she obtained the blue check mark.

☆ Blow for EU crackdown on tax deals as Fiat wins appeal
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] New Fiat Panda and Fiat 500 mild-hybrid cars are seen in piazza Maggiore, in Bologna, Italy, February 4, 2020. REUTERS/Flavio Lo ScalzoLUXEMBOURG, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Fiat Chrysler on Tuesday won its fight against an EU order to pay 30 million euros ($30 million) in back taxes to Luxembourg, dealing a major setback to EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager's crackdown on sweetheart deals between EU countries and multinationals. In her 2015 decision, Vestager said Luxembourg had granted Fiat Chrysler, now part of Stellantis (STLA.MI), an unfair tax advantage by endorsing artificial and complex methods that artificially lowered the company's taxes. Judges faulted the EU competition watchdog for its analysis of the reference system used to determine whether Luxembourg had given a selective advantage to Fiat. Vestager's high profile cases include her record 13-billion-euro tax order for Apple (AAPL.O) and Amazon's (AMZN.O) Luxembourg deal.

☆ EU says it has serious concerns about Biden's Inflation Reduction Act
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS — The European Union has "serious concerns" about the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, saying it breaches international trade rules, according to an official document seen by CNBC. The sweeping tax, health and climate bill was approved by U.S. lawmakers back in August and includes a record $369 billion in spending on climate and energy policies. The landmark package comprise tax credits for electric cars made in North America and supports U.S. battery supply chains. The EU listed nine of the tax credit provisions that it has an issue with. This is not the first time that Europe has voiced its concerns over the policy.

☆ Danes hand Social Democrats mandate to form government
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Social Democrats secured their strongest backing in more than two decades. Danes on Tuesday handed the Social Democratic Party a mandate to form a new government in a general election seen as a vote of confidence in Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's handling of the pandemic and her leadership to overcome yet another crisis. "Thanks to all Danes who have trusted us with your vote, it's a huge vote of confidence. The Social Democrats again became the biggest in parliament with 27.5% of votes. She said she will submit the resignation of her one-party government to the Queen on Wednesday and seek to form a broad government.

☆ U.S. tech giants face pressure from Europe's telcos to pay for building the internet
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Michael Bocchieri | Getty ImagesIn Europe, the battle between U.S. Big Tech companies and telecommunications firms has reached fever pitch. In May 2022, EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager said she would look into requiring Big Tech firms to pay for network costs. In South Korea, companies have similarly lobbied politicians to force "over-the-top" players like YouTube and Netflix to pay for network access. Tech companies, naturally, don't think they should pay for the privilege of sending their traffic to consumers. There's also the matter of why internet users pay their providers in the first place.

☆ Exclusive: Scores of Google rivals want EU tech law used in antitrust case
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, Oct 17 (Reuters) - More than 40 European rivals to Google's shopping service urged EU antitrust regulators on Monday to use newly adopted tech rules to ensure the Alphabet unit complies with a 2017 EU order to allow more competition on its search page. The European Commission fined Google 2.4 billion euros ($2.33 billion) five years ago and told the firm to stop favouring its shopping service. The company subsequently said it would treat its own shopping service the same as competitors when they bid in an auction for adverts in the shopping box that appears at the top of a search page. "Google's prominent embedding of Shopping Units is a prima facie infringement of the DMA's ban on self-preferencing," they said. The most paramount case at the heart of the calls for the DMA needs to be brought to an effective end," the companies, from 20 European countries, said.

☆ EU clears Celanese to buy DuPont unit on divestment condition
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Celanese announced the deal in February but had to offer remedies to address EU antitrust concerns. The combined entity would have been the largest producer of thermoplastic copolyester (TPC) in the European Economic Area and globally, with only a few alternative suppliers remaining. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe EU approval is conditional on Celanese divesting its global TPC business, including its production facility in Italy and certain brands. DuPont is remoulding its portfolio to focus on high-margin electronics and water solutions businesses. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout; editing by Philip BlenkinsopOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ European Commission suspects pharma group Teva broke antitrust rules
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Oct 10 (Reuters) - The European Commission has informed Teva Pharmaceutical (TEVA.TA) of its preliminary view that the company breached European Union (EU) antitrust rules with practices aimed at delaying competition to multiple sclerosis product Copaxone. "There is not yet a treatment for the chronic illness of multiple sclerosis, so innovative medicines can make a major difference to patients' quality of life," the Commission's competition policy head Margrethe Vestager said on Monday. Our concern is that Teva may have misused the patent system to shield itself from competition." If the European Commission's preliminary views are confirmed, Teva's behaviour would infringe Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which prohibits the abuse of a dominant position. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta Editing by David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Comisia Europeană este chemată să sprijine platforma online ECIPES27 concepută pentru a ajuta la depășirea consecințelor pandemiei
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-11 | by ( ) www.ipn.md time to read: +4 min

Prin aceasta, sprijinul UE va intra direct în casa cetățeanului. Prin programul ECIPES27, proiectele ecologice și bunele practici de succes pot fi reproduse în rețeaua localităților din UE și pot spori coeziunea comunității în care locuiesc cetățenii europeni. De la începutul pandemiei, rata șomerilor sub 25 de ani a crescut mai mult decât rata șomajului din alte categorii a populației. Prin aceasta, sprijinul UE va deveni pilonul care formează un nou mediu de afaceri, responsabil față de mediu ambient. Proiectele finanțate de UE prin ECIPES27 va corespunde priorităților de tranziție digital și ecologică, iar reducerea componentei birocratice va îmbunătăți fluxul și calitatea proiectelor implementate sub umbrela UE.

Persons: Frans Timmermans, Josep Borrell, Manfred Weber, Hahn Organizations: Comisia Europeană, UE, Europeană, PPE, Comisia Locations: Cetăţeni, UE, Europei, ECIPES27

☆ Puterea de piaţă a asistenţilor vocali Alexa, Siri şi Google Assistant stârnește îngrijorarea Comisiei Europene
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-10 | by ( ) www.jurnal.md time to read: +3 min

Sursa foto: ProfimediaPuterea de piaţă a asistenţilor vocali Alexa, Siri şi Google Assistant stârnește îngrijorarea Comisiei EuropeneCreşterea puterii de piaţă a asistenţilor vocali Alexa (Amazon), Siri (Apple) şi Google Assistant (Alphabet) stârnește îngrijorare cu privire la posibile practici anticoncurenţiale. Anunțul Comisiei Europene vine în urma publicării rezultatelor anchetei sale sectoriale în materie de concurenţă pe pieţele produselor şi serviciilor legate de internetul obiectelor. Cea de a treia îngrijorare are legătură cu cantitatea mare de date puse la dispoziţia furnizorilor de asistenţi vocali. În sfârşit, cea de a patra îngrijorare are legătură cu lipsa de interoperabilitate între dispozitive. Toate părţile interesate vor avea posibilitatea de a formula observaţii cu privire la constatările anchetei sectoriale, de a prezenta informaţii suplimentare sau de a aborda alte subiecte preocupante.

Persons: acţiuni, Alexa Organizations: Google, Alexa, Apple, Agerpres Locations: Amazon, justiţie, Europa

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