Themistoklis K. Giannakopoulos – författare

Focusing on the rules safeguarding procedural due process in the administrative procedures of the Commission, this fully updated edition of a widely used handbook covers the four principal fields that entail enforcement of substantive competition rules: antitrust, merger, anti-dumping/antisubsidies, and State aid. Among the many practical issues raised are the following: the right of directly involved parties to bring an action before the European Courts in merger, anti-dumping/anti-subsidies, and State-aid cases; the rights of complainants in antitrust cases; the rights and obligations of beneficiaries in State-aid cases; the extent to which the right to confidential communication between lawyer and client in thesecases is recognised by the European Commission and the European Courts; the right to silence to avoid self-incrimination in antitrust cases; the right to respect for confidentiality and the right to be heard during the preliminary factfinding procedure of the Commission; the obligations of an undertaking during the fact-finding procedure of the Commission; the right of access to the Commission’s file; the right to a fair hearing of all the parties concerned by the Commission proceedings; and the applicability of Article 6 of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) to EU antitrust procedures. Three tables consolidate briefly and comparatively the rights and the obligations of the private parties in the four proceedings, as well as their right to bring an action before the European Courts. These tables give the reader the opportunity to easily check out what is the situation in the four proceedings regarding a specific right or obligation. The author’s analysis draws on all the relevant judgments of the European Courts, and the book comes with a wealth of reference material, including detailed footnotes, lists of legislation and cases in both chronological and alphabetical order, and an extensive bibliography.

Unfair trading practices such as dumping and the granting of subsidies have long been identified as threats to open markets. Yet despite decades of international trading rules, global markets are still jeopardized by practices which can cause material injury to industries and put employment at risk. The European Union has been a leader in its determination to ensure that its industries are not disadvantaged by such practices, that Community interests are defended, and that fair competition is restored where needed.

The basic texts which form the legal basis of anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations in the Community entered into force in 1996 and 1997. The procedures developed in these texts, as amended, and in their corresponding regulations, are the subject of this extremely helpful guide. Practitioners who must follow these often complex procedures will find precise guidelines for the substantive determinations that must be made such as calculating the material injury, determining the cause of injury, and applying the Community interest test and then be able to move confidently through every procedural step, including the following:

Initial complaintQuestionnairesConfrontation meetings and oral hearingsInvestigations by Commission official;Offer and acceptance /rejection of undetaking;Commenting on the Commission''s provisional decisionRequesting review of measures and refunds andJudicial review

Throughout the presentation the author describes relevant cases and actual measures taken. Tables of cases and measures as well as a bibliography are included.

Business people and their counsel, whether engaged in trade within the EU or between any country and an EU Member State, will benefit enormously from the detailed guidance offered in this incomparable volume. The book will also be invaluable to academics and policymakers as an unclouded analysis of anti-dumping/anti-subsidies procedures under EC law.