Category archives for Английски език

The Limits to the European Commission’s Powers of Inspection In Competition Law Cases Under Article 8 of the ECHR

Ben Holles de Peyer[1]   I. Introduction The European Commission (“Commission”) has far-reaching powers of investigation for the enforcement of European Union (“EU”) competition law. In particular, the Commission has the power to issue requests for information and to carry out inspections in both antitrust and merger control proceedings. Articles 18, 20 and 21 of […]

The (legal) future of the European Union

  Stephan Hobe[1]     Currently nobody can deny that the European Union is in considerable trouble. There was not only the referendum in the United Kingdom on an exit decision of the United Kingdom on 23 June 2016. For the first time it had been made visible that there is an option for countries […]

Regulating ‘Geo-blocking‘ in Europe – a most Un-European thing?

Bojana Vitanova[1]     Introduction It is 2018 and crossing physical borders in Europe nowadays is easier than crossing them in the digital world. As Reiner Schulze observes, ‘European solutions, which consider the conditions and potential of the Digital Internal Market (or as the European Commission refers to it – the ‘Digital Internal Market’), are […]

The Rule of Law in the European Union – Birth to Present

Judgment of 25 July 2018, Minister for Justice and Equality (Deficiencies in the system of justice), C‑216/18 PPU, EU:C:2018:586 Paolo Giusta [1]   Introduction Since the Schuman declaration of 1950, the rule of law has been a cornerstone of the European integration process and of the EU legal order. This founding principle, progressively enshrined in the EU […]

THE INTEL CASE – A GAME OF PROOF

Judgment of 6 September 2017, Intel v Commission, C‑413/14 P   Aleksandar Dorich[1] On 6 September 2017, the Court of Justice of the European Union delivered the long-awaited Intel judgment. This case was strongly debated as it concerns major legal issues related to the granting of exclusivity rebates by a dominant undertaking. In its judgment, the Court […]

STANDARD OF PROOF OF “EXCESSIVE PRICING” PRACTICES UNDER EUROPEAN UNION COMPETITION LAW – ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES STEMMING FROM THE RECENT CASE-LAW OF THE CJUE

Oleg Temnikov[1] The author presents in this article the Judgment of the CJEU of of 14 September 2017 in the case Autortiesību un komunicēšanās konsultāciju aģentūra/Latvijas Autoru apvienība, C 177/16. He makes an overview of the conclusions adopted by the Court in its judgement and elaborates on the possible consequence for the application in the […]

ACTIONS FOR DAMAGES UNDER BULGARIAN LAW FOR PROTECTION OF COMPETITION AND DIRECTIVE 2014/104/EU IN THE LIGHT OF THE EUROPEAN UNION PRIVATE INTERNATIONAL LAW

Deyan Draguiev[1]   The article analyses the amendments of Bulgarian law and more specifically of the Bulgarian Protection of Competition Act adopted in the beginning of 2018 in order to implement EU Directive Directive 2014/104/ЕС, also known as the Competition Damages Directive. Under the changes promulgated by Bulgarian State Gazette No. 2/2018, a new Section […]

The Role of the European Court of Justice in European integration: Continuity and Change

Koen Lenaerts* A. Introduction   Despite the difficult challenges that the European Union is currently facing, such as those brought about by the refugee crisis, the fight against international terrorism, and Brexit, the European Union has been, overall, a success story.   One must not forget that the primary objective of the EU is to […]

KÖBLER AND FRANCOVICH: WHAT IS THEIR RELATIONSHIP?

Zsófia Varga[1]   1. Introduction   The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) held in the judgment in Köbler that Member States are obliged to make good the damage caused to individuals in cases where the infringement of EU law stems from a decision of a Member State court adjudicating at last instance.[2] […]

EUROPEAN COMMISSION’S DECISION IN PROCEEDINGS AGAINST BULGARIAN ENERGY HOLDING FOR ABUSE OF DOMINANT POSITION ON THE WHOLESALE ELECTRICITY MARKET

(EU Commission’s antitrust decision in case No. AT.39767, ‘BEH Electricity’)   Alexander Galendinov[1] On 10 December 2015 the European Commission adopted a decision that renders legally binding the commitments offered by Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH) to end alleged competition restrictions on Bulgaria’s wholesale electricity market[2]. The European Commission opened proceedings against BEH on 3 December […]

THE ESSENTIAL FACILITY DOCTRINE

(Case law of the European Commission, the European Court of Justice and the Bulgarian Commission for Protection of Competition) [1] Eleonora Mateina[2]   This article provides an overview of the essential facility doctrine in the practice of the European Commission, the ECJ and the Bulgarian Commission for Protection of Competition. The analysis of some of […]

NEW GENERATION OF FREE TRADE BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND THE EUROPEAN UNION – THE TRANSATLANTIC TRADE AND INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIP (TTIP) AND THE REGULATORY BARRIERS TO TRADE

  Svetlana Chobanova[1] The article looks at one of the most important and controversial issues in the context of the TTIP – the reduction of no-tariff barriers (NTBs) to trade between the European Union (EU) and the United States (US) – by focusing on the most widely spread and serious NTBs: the technical barriers to […]

AWAITING THE NEW LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVE OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION ON MUTUAL RECOGNITION OF JUDICIAL ACTS ON FREEZING, SEIZING AND CONFISCATION

Ass. Prof. Dr. Todor Kolarov[1] The article addresses the main issues that continue to represent challenges in mutual recognition of judicial orders in freezing, seizing and confiscation. On those, an action on behalf of the European Commission that scaffolds on Regulation 42/2014/EU could be expected. This time around the ambitions are bigger – namely to […]

IS THE AWARD OF LOW VALUE PUBLIC PROCUREMENT CONTRACTS SUBJECT TO LEGAL REVIEW?

 Zlatina Dancheva, lawyer   I. The essence of the problem In accordance with art. 20, par. 3 of the new Public Procurement Law (PPL) the public work contracts with a value net of value-added tax (VAT) from 50 000 to 270 000 levs, as well as the public supplies and services contracts[1] with a value net of […]

GUIDANCE ON THE APPLICATION OF THE LENIENCY PROGRAM

(Judgment of the General Court in case Т-265/2012, Schenker v. Commission) Stanka Cherkezova[1] The article discusses the judgment of the General Court of the EU in case T-265/12 Schenker Limited v. Commission and the wide discretion of the Commission in competition cases on matters of leniency, liability, definition of market, agreement and providing information. On […]

A RACE FOR IMMUNITY OR A GROWING NEED TO HARMONIZE THE EU LENIENCY SYSTEM

Judgment of the Court of the Justice of the EU in case C-428/14, DHL Express (Italy)   Dr. Anton Petrov* The fight against cartels has always been one of the main topics in the European competition policy. Unfortunately, the secretive nature of cartel agreements poses formidable challenges to enforcement agencies and the investigations are usually […]

THE BULGARIAN PRESIDENCY OF THE COUNCIL IN THE CONTEXT OF THE SPECIAL STATUS OF THE UK

   Prof. Dr. Jasmine Popova This article aims to present some issues and challenges in relation to the preparation of the 18-month legislative programme of the “Troyka” (UK, Estonia and Bulgaria), which will be chairing the Council of the EU during the period July 1st 2017- December 31st 2018, taking into consideration the two scenarios […]

INTERPRETATIONAL STATEMENTS OF SUPREME COURTS IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

Zdeněk Kühn* (Пълният превод на статията на български език може да намерите в частта „Резюме“ на този том)     Supreme Courts’ Interpretational Statements and Guidelines: Their Emergence and Persistence in Central and Eastern Europe In the 1950s one phenomena almost unknown in the Western world appeared in the then Socialist states of Central and […]

SAFE HARBOUR OR PEARL HARBOUR?

  (Judgement of the Court of Justice of the EU in case С-362/14, Schrems) Katina Boncheva On October 6, 2015 the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) annulled the Commission’s Decision of July 26, 2000, according to which the United States of America (USA) ensure adequate protection of personal data, through the so-called “Safe […]

OVERVIEW OF THE PROCEDURAL PROBLEMS IN THE CASE LAW OF BULGARIAN COURTS IN THE CONTEXT OF STATE LIABILITY FOR BREACHES OF EUROPEAN UNION LAW

Andrean Slavchev*  [1] With its revolutionary Judgment of 19 November 1991 in case Andrea Francovich and Danila Bonifaci and others v. Repubblica Italiana the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) introduced for the first time the principle of State liability for breaches of European Union law. The Court further developped that principle in Judgment […]