Taxi Shortcut: Norway’s Top Court Rules Joint Bid an Infringement by Object

Supreme Court follows EFTA Court ruling, but on different grounds

Photo: Dmitry Valberg

In a landmark judgment, Norway’s Supreme Court has ruled that joint bids submitted by two local taxi cooperatives for public contracts were anti-competitive ‘by object’. Since the two cooperatives could have bid separately for the contracts, they were considered as potential competitors.

The court unanimously held that no assessment was necessary of the likely effects of the parties’ choice to team up and bid jointly. Subject to the narrow exception for efficiencies – under the national provision corresponding to Art 101(3) TFEU – the joint bid was deemed a per se infringement. Read more

No bid-rigging in Swedish healthcare case

At the end of April this year, a Swedish case involving alleged procurement collusion in healthcare markets reached its final conclusion. In a reversal of fortunes for the Swedish Competition Authority (SCA), the Patent and Market Court of Appeal overturned the December 2015 judgment of the Stockholm District Court, exonerating the companies involved (Aleris Diagnostik, Capio S:t Görans Sjukhus*, Hjärtkärlgruppen i Sverige (HKG) (the Parties)). Read more

Mobile Merger Cleared on Efficiency Grounds

Sweden-based telecoms group Telia secured last-minute approval of Norwegian acquisition

A number of recent European telecoms mergers have highlighted the difficulties in winning merger clearances on efficiency grounds, even where the deal would appear to give rise to obvious efficiencies. A number of mobile network operators, or MNOs, have claimed that joining forces with competing MNOs would give the scale necessary to undertake the very significant investments needed in network upgrades. Read more

Reader Offer: New Frontiers of Antitrust 2017

For those who may be interested in a trip to Paris in June, the 2017 edition of the New Frontiers of Antitrust conference will take place on 26 June, which is a Monday. It is hosted by Concurrences Review at the Maison du Barreau, Rue de Harlay.

Readers of Nordic Competition get a 10% discount by using the code “NFA2017PartnersBlogs”.

Marc van der Woude, Judge, Vice-President, General Court of the European Union, Luxembourg, will deliver the opening keynote speech. Read more

INTERVIEW WITH FINLAND’S NEW HEAD OF MERGER CONTROL

Photo: The Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority

The Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (FCCA) got a new head of merger control, Ms Sanna Syrjälä, at the beginning of 2017. In this interview with Nordic Competition, she urges parties to engage in early and realistic pre-notification discussions and highlights the increased significance of econometrics in effects analyses.

You have a background as a head of research in the FCCA’s department responsible for cartels and other behavioural competition law enforcement. Why did you choose to move your focus to merger control, and how will your experience be of use in your new position? Read more