Report on Competition Policy 2017

Key points:

The EESC:

• believes that the reinforcement of NCAs' autonomy and the provision of adequate resources is vital. Genuine independence, expertise and training are necessary for effective work, and the ECN+ Directive should be closely monitored to see that this is achieved;
• supports the Commission in the area of private legal enforcement of the competition rules and argues that class actions should be facilitated by the legal systems of all Member States;
• believes that further proposals on franchising, to be included in the Block Exemption Regulation in order to restore the commercial and contractual balance between franchisees and the franchisor, should be considered;
• considers that where there are significant para-commercial activities run by local authorities which may benefit from public subsidy enabling unfair competition these should be studied to see whether an adaptation of state aid rules or other instruments is necessary;
• urges specific provision within the Multiannual Financial Framework to monitor anti-competitive practices being created within the digital economy, as it is concerned that adequate resources are currently not applied.

For more information please contact the INT Section Secretariat.