The European Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs stated on Monday, 14 March, that competition rules need to be reviewed in order to make them suitable for the digital age and State aid rules need to be made more flexible so as to help EU companies affected by the sanctions against Russia.
MEPs adopted the draft report by Andreas Schwab (EPP, Germany) on the 2021 annual report on competition policy.
MEPs are recommending a thorough review and effective implementation of existing competition instruments and, if need be, the development of new instruments that are suitable for investigations in digital markets. They stress the need for the European Commission’s competition services to build specific expertise on digital issues.
The European Commission has been asked to expedite its work on reviewing the definition of ‘relevant market’.
MEPs are therefore calling on the European Commission to evaluate digital mergers more carefully by better assessing the impact of data concentration.
The Vertical Block Exemption Regulation and related guidelines need to be adapted to better address recent market developments, notably the growth of online sales and online platforms.
Finally, according to MEPs, competition rules should be included in the toolbox to contend with the negative effects of soaring energy prices. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)