There has been an enhanced focus on personal fines in competition law cases in Denmark. It is now common that fines are not only issued to companies but also individuals when the Danish Competition Act is violated – and the first prison sentence may not be far away.
Recently the European Commission published the public version of its decision to fine recycling companies Campine, Recyclex and Eco-Bat €68 million for their participation in a car battery recycling cartel. As far as we know, this is the first time the Commission sets a fine relating to purchasing activities in the circular economy. This case is also remarkable because purchasing combinations are often held to generate efficiencies for the benefit of consumers. The case also shows that a race for leniency can be detrimental to one’s (in this case: Campine’s) legal position. (more…)
The Autorité de la concurrence issues a decision concerning a case which has been brought to its attention through the leniency procedure. The Autorité principally fines 20 delivery service companies for coordinating on annual price increases that they charged their respective clients. This information sharing process, which occurred between September 2004 and September 2010, mainly took place during meetings held within the framework of a professional trade union body (TLF) which has also been fined. (more…)
The newly established Danish Competition Council has decided to initiate an analysis of the wholesale distributor market for medicinal products. The aim is to analyze the effectiveness of the competition on this particular market, which is characterized by two “players” holding a very significant market share. (more…)