Press Release: Antitrust: Commission adopts Guidelines on application of competition rules to maritime transport services

The European Commission adopted Guidelines on the application to maritime transport services of EC Treaty rules on restrictive business practices (Article 81). This followed a public consultation in 2007. In 2006, the Council repealed the exemption from the EU competition rules for liner shipping conferences. As from October 2008, liner companies will have to assess themselves whether their business practices comply with the competition rules. The Guidelines will help maritime operators understand the implications of this change, and provide details on market definition, information exchange in liner shipping and on operational co-operation agreements between tramp operators (i.e. unscheduled maritime transport of non-containerised bulk cargo), so-called pool agreements. The Guidelines will be published in the EU Official Journal.

European Commission: MEMO/08/460: Antitrust: Guidelines on the application of competition rules in the maritime sector – frequently asked questions http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/08/460&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

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