Recent development in restrictions of competition ‘by object’ in EU competition case law, and the role of Hungarian cases

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54201/iajas.v1i2.21

Keywords:

EU competition law, restriction by object, Hungarian competition law cases

Abstract

Complying with the abstract rules of competition law has always been a challenge. The category of ‘restrictions of competition by object’ is precisely what facilitates compliance. However, parallel with the strengthening of compliance, much more complicated restrictions of competition cases have been dealt with by the competition authorities in the EU. In this context, the need for a precise delineation of the category of restrictions of competition by object has increased over the last ten years. The Hungarian cases have contributed signifi cantly to the development of the European Court of Justice’s case law on restrictions of competition by object. In the Hungarian cases referred for a preliminary ruling, the European Court of Justice has confi rmed that the classical categories of restrictions of competition by object can be extended. However, until now, case law has not yet provided examples of this extension, only in cases where the classifi cation of the conduct in question as restriction by object was not clear, or where it was not possible to prove suffi cient harm to competition.

References

Bailey, D. (2012). Restrictions of competition by object under Article 101 TFEU. Common Market Law Review, 49(2), 559-599.

Dömötörfy, B., Kiss, B. S., Firniksz, J. (2020). Látszólagos dichotómia? Versenykorlátozó cél és hatás vizsgálata az uniós versenyjogban, különös tekintettel a Budapest Bank ügyre [An apparent dichotomy? Examining by object and by effect restrictions in EU competition law, with particular reference to the Budapest Bank case]. In Valentiny, P., Nagy, Cs. I., Berezvai, Z. (Eds.), Verseny és szabályozás 2019 [Competition and regulation 2019] (pp. 26-49). MTA KRTK Közgazdaság-tudományi Intézet.

Gál, G. (2020). Card trick: The Judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union in the Budapest Bank case (C-228/18). European Mirror, 23(3), 27-54. doi: https://doi.org/10.32559/et.2020.3.2

Ibáñez Colomo, P. (2019). Legal Tests in EU Competition Law, Taxonomy and Operation. Journal of European Competition Law &Practice, 10(7). doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3394889

Koivusalo, J. (2021). The pursuit of an anti-competitive outcome – restrictions of competition by object after GUK and Budapest Bank. European Competition Law Review, 42(6)

Monti, G. (2020). EU Competition Law and the Rule of Reason Revisited. TILEC Discussion Paper DP 2020-021. doi: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3686619

Nagy, Cs. I. (2019). Anticompetitive object/effect: An overview of EU and national case law. e-Competitions Bulletin Anticompetitive object/effect, Art. N° 91905 (2019). Online: https://bit.ly/3voVEbY

Nagy, Cs. I. (2021). A kartelljog dogmatikai szerkezete [The dogmatic system of cartel law]. HVG-Orac.

Ronzano, A. (2016). Restriction by effect: The General Court of the European Union confirms the tariff measures by the French interbank network effectively restricted competition after the ECJ ruled that they had no restrictive object (Groupement des cartes bancaires). Concurrences, 2016/3. Online: https://bit.ly/3hs0E7v

Tóth, A. (2014). Hungarian experiences on the role of the competition policy in a transitional economy. Korea Economic Law Journal, 13(3), 123-138. doi: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2745781

Tóth, A. (2019). Vélelmek a versenyjogban [Presumptions in competition law]. Magyar Jog [Hungarian Law], 66(3), 125-131.

Legal sources

CJEU judgment no. C-58/64 (1965) Online: https://bit.ly/3M8sLH8

European Commission decision in Case COMP/34.579 Online: https://bit.ly/3tfcPdq

CJEU judgment no. C-32/11 (2013) Online: https://bit.ly/35hOwUi

CJEU judgment no. C-67/13 P (2014) Online: https://bit.ly/3C7wFeH

CJEU judgment no. C-382/12 P (2014) Online: https://bit.ly/3pqhbNF

CJEU judgment no. C-172/14 (2015) Online: https://bit.ly/3vGHrHR

CJEU judgment no. C-345/14 (2015) Online: https://bit.ly/3hwAq3H

CJEU judgment no. C-286/13 P (2015) Online: https://bit.ly/3tl8O7v

General Court judgment no. T-491/07 RENV (2016) Online: https://bit.ly/3ItPnQ7

CJEU judgement no. C-542/14 (2016) Online: https://bit.ly/3IzlCgM

CJEU judgment no. C-179/16 (2018) Online: https://bit.ly/3JZVqMA

Opinion of Advocate General Michal Bobek in Case C-228/18 (2019) Online: https://bit.ly/3IHrowI

CJEU judgment no. C-228/18 (2020) Online: https://bit.ly/3Ip31E5

CJEU judgement no. C-307/18 (2020) Online: https://bit.ly/3K7hlld

CJEU judgment no. C-591/16 P (2021) Online: https://bit.ly/3M790j7

Gazdasági Versenyhivatal [Hungarian Competition Authority] decision no. Vj-51/2005/184.

Downloads

Published

2021-11-17

How to Cite

Tóth, A. (2021). Recent development in restrictions of competition ‘by object’ in EU competition case law, and the role of Hungarian cases. Institutiones Administrationis - Journal of Administrative Sciences, 1(2), 36–48. https://doi.org/10.54201/iajas.v1i2.21