Some Observations on the Treatment of Standardization Agreements in the EC Guidelines on Horizontal Cooperation Agreements

Guidelines issued by the European Commission can provide an important complement to the modernization of Europe’s competition regime. Instituted by Regulation 1/2003, modernization did away with the system of prior notification to the European Commission competition authority, making undertakings themselves responsible for assessing the legality of their business practices. Guidelines are thus increasingly important, as business practices become more complex and a