European Commission’s call for contribution –
Competition policy’s role in achieving the objectives of the Green Deal.

  • State aid:
    • The Commission should explore the possibility of a “Green deal bonus” allowing to raise the aid intensity thresholds for projects implementing it.
    • It is important to rebalance European guidelines to better support R&D and the deployment of low-carbon technologies, particularly through transnational IPCEIs, for which the notification procedures must be simplified.

 

  • Antitrust:
    • The exchange of information should not be regarded as infringements per se: the analysis should be made for each case with an appropriate assessment of the legal and economic context in which the exchange of information takes place.
    • Virtuous cooperation – uncorrelated from any impact on the price of the concerned product – can lead to sectoral improvements, particularly in the environmental field.
    • Better legal protection must be provided for the sharing of know-how and intellectual property rights (“IPR”) to encourage cooperation and the sharing of IP.

 

  • Merger control:
    • Companies are asking for greater consideration of efficiencies and technological gains to support the necessary merger operations to gain technological and political autonomy.