Directive 2019/1 - Directive 2019/1 to empower the competition authorities of the Member States to be more effective enforcers and to ensure the proper functioning of the internal market

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1.

Current status

This directive has been published on January 14, 2019, entered into force on February  3, 2019 and should have been implemented in national regulation on February  4, 2021 at the latest.

2.

Key information

official title

Directive (EU) 2019/1 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 to empower the competition authorities of the Member States to be more effective enforcers and to ensure the proper functioning of the internal market (Text with EEA relevance.)
 
Legal instrument Directive
Number legal act Directive 2019/1
Original proposal COM(2017)142 EN
CELEX number i 32019L0001

3.

Key dates

Document 11-12-2018; Date of signature
Publication in Official Journal 14-01-2019; OJ L 11 p. 3-33
Signature 11-12-2018
Effect 03-02-2019; Entry into force Date pub. +20 See Art 36
Deadline 12-12-2024; Review See Art 35
End of validity 31-12-9999
Transposition 04-02-2021; Adoption See Art 34.1

4.

Legislative text

14.1.2019   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 11/3

 

DIRECTIVE (EU) 2019/1 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

of 11 December 2018

to empower the competition authorities of the Member States to be more effective enforcers and to ensure the proper functioning of the internal market

(Text with EEA relevance)

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Articles 103 and 114 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (1),

Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure (2),

Whereas:

 

(1)

Articles 101 and 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) are a matter of public policy and should be applied effectively throughout the Union to ensure that competition in the internal market is not distorted. Effective enforcement of Articles 101 and 102 TFEU is necessary to ensure fairer and more open competitive markets in the Union, in which undertakings compete more on their merits and without company-erected barriers to market entry, enabling them to generate wealth and create jobs. It protects consumers and undertakings active on the internal market from business practices that keep the prices of goods and services artificially high and enhances their choice of innovative goods and services.

 

(2)

The public enforcement of Articles 101 and 102 TFEU is carried out by the national competition authorities (NCAs) of the Member States in parallel to the Commission pursuant to Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2003 (3). Together, the NCAs and the Commission form a network of public authorities that apply the Union competition rules in close cooperation (the ‘European Competition Network’).

 

(3)

Article 3(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1/2003 obliges NCAs and national courts to apply Articles 101 and 102 TFEU to agreements, to decisions by associations of undertakings, to concerted practices or to the abuse of a dominant position which are capable of affecting trade between Member States. In practice, most NCAs apply national competition law in parallel to Articles 101 and 102 TFEU. Therefore, this Directive, the objective of which is to ensure that NCAs have the guarantees of independence, resources, and enforcement and fining powers necessary to apply Articles 101 and 102 TFEU effectively, inevitably has an impact on national competition law when it is applied in parallel by NCAs. Furthermore, the application by the NCAs of national competition law to agreements, to decisions by associations of undertakings or to concerted practices, which may affect trade between Member States, should not lead to a different outcome to the one reached by the NCAs under Union law pursuant to Article 3(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1/2003. Therefore, in such cases of parallel application of national competition law and Union law, it is essential that the NCAs have the same guarantees of independence, resources, and enforcement and fining powers necessary to ensure that a different outcome is not reached.

 

(4)

Moreover, providing NCAs with the power to obtain all information related to the undertaking subject to the investigation, including in digital form, irrespective of the medium on which it is stored, would also affect the scope of the NCAs' powers when, at the early stages of their proceedings, they take the relevant investigative measure on the basis of national competition law applied in parallel to Articles 101 and 102 TFEU. Providing NCAs with inspection powers of a different scope, depending on whether they will ultimately apply only national competition law or also apply Articles 101 and 102 TFEU in...


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This text has been adopted from EUR-Lex.

5.

Original proposal

 

6.

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