Press Release: Antitrust: Commission adopts new Block Exemption Regulation for liner shipping consortia

The European Commission adopted a new Block Exemption Regulation revising the current exemption for liner shipping consortia from the EC Treaty's ban on restrictive business practices (Article 81). The current consortia block exemption Regulation 823/2000, which expires in April 2010, allows shipping lines to enter into cooperation for the purpose of providing a joint service in transporting cargo (so-called 'consortia'). The new Regulation extends the current exemption for such co-operation for five more years, until April 2015, within a new legislative and economic environment. Changes notably include a reduction of the market share threshold above which companies do not qualify for automatic exemption under the Regulation and an extension of the scope of the exemption to all cargo liner shipping services.

European Commission: MEMO/09/420: Antitrust: Commission adopts new Block Exemption Regulation for liner shipping consortia - frequently asked questions http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/09/420&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

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