Report on Competition Policy 2010

Key points:

The EESC congratulates the Commission for its achievements in the area of competition over the last 40 years. It welcomes the Commission's intention to promote changes to the report on competition and highlights the importance of the report's content taking a more strategic view, paving the way for a debate on competition policy rather than on competition law.

Furthermore, the Committee highlights

• the possible distortions which a continuation of the crisis and the temporary measures taken may cause in terms of competition;
• the importance of guaranteeing fair external trade and strict compliance with all aspects of the fundamental ILO conventions;
• the risks of liberalising the energy sector, with regard to both quality and continuity of supply, and prices;
• the price volatility on the raw materials market;
• the inability of national competition authorities to perform their role as regulators in sectors where prices are influenced by variations in raw material prices;
• the importance of supervision by national competition authorities in the large retail sector;
• the need to draw up legislative proposals on antitrust damages actions for breaches of EU antitrust rules;
• the importance of establishing a European patent; and
• the issue of self-regulation as a potentially effective means of stimulating the development of certain markets promoting fair trade.

For more information please contact the INT Section Secretariat.

Other relevant EESC opinions

• Report on Competition Policy 2009 (INT/526)