On Tuesday 21 November, the European Commission announced that Commission officials, accompanied by their counterparts from the relevant national competition authorities, had carried out unannounced inspections at the premises of companies active in the online ordering and delivery of food products, groceries and other consumer goods. These inspections took place in two Member States.
These unannounced inspections are part of an investigation that led the Commission to carry out previous inspections in 2022 (see EUROPE 12987/23).
This investigation initially concerned suspected market allocations. However, the Commission announced that the scope of the investigation has been extended to cover other allegations, including suspected agreements between companies not to hire each other’s employees (no-poach agreements) and exchanges of commercially sensitive information.
Restrictive agreements and commercial practices are prohibited by Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. (Original version in French by Émilie Vanderhulst)