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Showing posts from August, 2015

When competition law climbed Mont Blanc: The Refuge du Goûter case

The decision made on 30 July 2015 by the French Competition Authority (FCA) in R efuge du Go û ter (Gouter Hut) ( Decision n. 15-D-12 sur les pratiques mises en œ uvre par la Féderiaton française des clubs alpins et de montagne et le Compagnie de guides de Chamonix et de Saint Gervais dans le secteur des guide de haute montagne (accès au Mont Blanc par le refuge du Go û ter )  ) is worth reading due to the highly peculiarity of the facts of the case. The Gouter Hut was strategically located at an altitude of 3,385 metres on the less difficulty itinerary towards the peak of Mont Blanc, the so-called 'voie royale'. Excursionists have to spend a night on the hut on their ascent. The owner of the hut, Féderation française des clubs alpins et de montagne or French Aassociation of Alpine Clubs (FFCAM), used to reserve 71 places of the 120 available each night to professional alpine guides. In 2013 the French local authorities required the owner of the Gouter Hut to adopt a nu

The Italian Competition Authority opened a cartel investigation in the car rental sector

Following an anonymous complaint, on 22 July 2015 the Italian Competition Authority (ICA) has opened an Article 101 TFEU investigation against 8 car rental companies and a trade association regrouping them, Aniasa, in the Case I791 . The market concerned is the market for the long term rental of  cars. The complainant, that was a user of car rental services, reported a certain degree of alignment in the commercial policies of the parties as for the prices and the other relevant competition factors, though previously the parties used to compete more agressively in the market. The complainant  also reported that the parties exchanged sensitive information organized in excel files through their trade  association Aniasa.  Considering the facts reported by the anonymous complainant and the evidence collected in some dawn raids, the ICA feared that the parties may had breached competition exchanging sensitive information and coordinating their commercial policies. Hereby, the ICA launched