Thursday 9 April 2020

COVID-19: Temporary Framework for assessing antitrust issues


COVID-19: Temporary Framework for assessing antitrust issues

On 8 April 2020, the European Commission published a Temporary Framework for assessing antitrust issues in urgent business cooperation situations arising from the 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

The Commission has set up a temporary process to provide, where appropriate, ad hoc written comfort letters to undertakings in relation to specific and well-defined cooperation projects.

The procedure is reminiscent of the pre-2004 practice where the Commission issued administrative letters to companies indicating that it saw no grounds for action in relation to a notified agreement.

The Commission has already applied this procedure and is issuing a comfort letter to “Medicines for Europe”, formerly the “European Generics Medicines Association”.  The cooperation project among pharmaceutical producers targets the risk of shortage of critical hospital medicines.

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_618

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