Does the EU's probe stray too far?

摘要

The European Commission announced in November that it was opening formal antitrust proceedings against several container lines, with at least 14 leading lines involved. This investigation could ultimately lead to significant fines, as well as potential damages actions by shippers using the infringement finding to demonstrate they have been paying over the odds. As airlines and freight forwarders have found in recent years, the cumulative cost of these investigations can be dramatic. The proceedings follow on from the 'dawn raids' carried out in May 2011, but of particular interest is the nature of the alleged infringement. The commission is taking the lines, whose conference arrangements were largely exempt from competition law until October 2008, into uncharted waters by focusing its investigation on the lines giving advance notice of rate changes through press announcements.