Brussels, 25/09/2006 (Agence Europe) - On 25 September by unanimous adoption, at the Competitiveness Council, the Council of the EU decided to repeal the exemption from the EC Treaty's ban on restrictive business practices (Article 81) for liner conferences on routes to and from the EU. The current block exemption, established by Council Regulation 4056/86 allows carriers to fix prices and regulate capacity jointly. The repeal will enter into effect in October 2008. To ensure that the new regime fosters competitive markets, the Commission will issue guidelines on the application of the competition rules to maritime transport before the end of the transitional period. The Council also empowered the Commission to apply EC Treaty competition rules to cabotage and tramp shipping, by extending the scope of the competition implementing rules (Regulation 1/2003). In compliance with what had been announced (EUROPE 9096) and to facilitate transition to a more competitive environment, the Commission will be publishing, before the end of the transition period, guidelines on the application of modalities for competition rules on shipping, as well as for cabotage and tramp shipping.