CONCERTED PRACTICES: CONCEPT AND EVOLUTION

The doctrine of concerted practices has been developed over several decades of jurisprudence. To grasp this doctrine in a coherent and structured manner is essential for understanding cartel enforcement under Article 101 TFEU. This article shows that the evolution of concerted practices could be div...

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Main Author: Martynas Jablonskis
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Mykolas Romeris University 2022-06-01
Series:International Comparative Jurisprudence
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ojs.mruni.eu/ojs/international-comparative-jurisprudence/article/view/7128
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author Martynas Jablonskis
author_facet Martynas Jablonskis
author_sort Martynas Jablonskis
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description The doctrine of concerted practices has been developed over several decades of jurisprudence. To grasp this doctrine in a coherent and structured manner is essential for understanding cartel enforcement under Article 101 TFEU. This article shows that the evolution of concerted practices could be divided analytically into six distinct stages. Some important precedents have been adopted at each stage. We capture them by the succinct formulation of “rules”. The entire set of “rules” concisely represents the doctrine of concerted practices. We then turn to their critical reflection. A fuller picture of concerted practices emerges, revealing important weaknesses in the doctrine: (i) an apparent lack of new conceptual developments, which could be partially explained by the rule that enabled imprecise qualification of cartel infringements as agreements “and/or” concerted practices; and (ii) rebuttable presumptions and notions of passive participation or tacit acceptance of collusion gradually turned into a sui generis prohibition of exchange of information, which is hardly compatible with the definition of concerted practices or even violates the presumption of innocence. The doctrine of concerted practices was shaped before the age of the internet and virtual competition, which makes it fairly outdated for addressing emerging issues of algorithmic collusion. We could expect a resurgence of interest in the fundamentals of the concept and forthcoming new conceptual developments.
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spelling doaj.art-8ebfdde76208400eb3439a1cfc235d022022-12-22T00:31:29ZengMykolas Romeris UniversityInternational Comparative Jurisprudence2351-66742022-06-018110.13165/j.icj.2022.06.002 CONCERTED PRACTICES: CONCEPT AND EVOLUTIONMartynas JablonskisThe doctrine of concerted practices has been developed over several decades of jurisprudence. To grasp this doctrine in a coherent and structured manner is essential for understanding cartel enforcement under Article 101 TFEU. This article shows that the evolution of concerted practices could be divided analytically into six distinct stages. Some important precedents have been adopted at each stage. We capture them by the succinct formulation of “rules”. The entire set of “rules” concisely represents the doctrine of concerted practices. We then turn to their critical reflection. A fuller picture of concerted practices emerges, revealing important weaknesses in the doctrine: (i) an apparent lack of new conceptual developments, which could be partially explained by the rule that enabled imprecise qualification of cartel infringements as agreements “and/or” concerted practices; and (ii) rebuttable presumptions and notions of passive participation or tacit acceptance of collusion gradually turned into a sui generis prohibition of exchange of information, which is hardly compatible with the definition of concerted practices or even violates the presumption of innocence. The doctrine of concerted practices was shaped before the age of the internet and virtual competition, which makes it fairly outdated for addressing emerging issues of algorithmic collusion. We could expect a resurgence of interest in the fundamentals of the concept and forthcoming new conceptual developments. https://ojs.mruni.eu/ojs/international-comparative-jurisprudence/article/view/7128concerted practicestacit acceptance of collusionexchange of informationrebuttable presumptionscartel enforcementthe eu competition law
spellingShingle Martynas Jablonskis
CONCERTED PRACTICES: CONCEPT AND EVOLUTION
International Comparative Jurisprudence
concerted practices
tacit acceptance of collusion
exchange of information
rebuttable presumptions
cartel enforcement
the eu competition law
title CONCERTED PRACTICES: CONCEPT AND EVOLUTION
title_full CONCERTED PRACTICES: CONCEPT AND EVOLUTION
title_fullStr CONCERTED PRACTICES: CONCEPT AND EVOLUTION
title_full_unstemmed CONCERTED PRACTICES: CONCEPT AND EVOLUTION
title_short CONCERTED PRACTICES: CONCEPT AND EVOLUTION
title_sort concerted practices concept and evolution
topic concerted practices
tacit acceptance of collusion
exchange of information
rebuttable presumptions
cartel enforcement
the eu competition law
url https://ojs.mruni.eu/ojs/international-comparative-jurisprudence/article/view/7128
work_keys_str_mv AT martynasjablonskis concertedpracticesconceptandevolution