On 17 February 2017, EU Directive 2014/104 (the “Directive”) was transposed into Irish law by the European Union (Actions for Damages for Infringements of Competition Law) Regulations 2017 (the “Implementation Act”). As widely acknowledged, the implementation of the Directive aims to facilitate the enforcement of claims for damages resulting from infringements of competition law before the courts of EU […]
EU proposes new whistleblower safeguards
On 23 April 2018, the European Commission announced its intention to implement new EU-wide standards to safeguard whistleblowers. The Commission’s proposals aim to strengthen existing laws by increasing the protection of whistleblowers who report violations of EU rules, including breaches of competition law. According to the Commission the proposed reforms will establish “safe channels” which whistle-blowers can […]
German Federal Court of Justice hands down landmark judgment in Cement Cartel Case
In 2005, Germany implemented legislation determining the suspension of limitation periods for damage claims during the investigation of a competition authority. However, since the adoption of the new provision it has been unclear whether the law applies on damage claims which arose before the entry into force of the new suspension provision (1 July 2005), […]