| European Commissioner for Competition | |
|---|---|
 Flag of the EU | |
| Member of | the European Commission |
| Reports to | President of the European Commission |
| Term length | 5 years |
| Formation | 7 January 1958 |
| First holder | Hans von der Groeben |
The Commissioner for Competition is the member of the European Commission responsible for competition. The current commissioner is Teresa Ribera (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party).
The portfolio has responsibility for such matters as commercial competition, company mergers, cartels, state aid, and antitrust law. The position became the sole merger authority for the European Economic Area in September 1990.
The Competition Commissioner is one of the most powerful positions in the commission, and indeed the world, and is notable in affecting global regulatory practices in a phenomenon known as the Brussels effect. [1] For example, preventing the merger of two US companies, General Electric and Honeywell, in 2001. [2] In 2007, Neelie Kroes (then-Competition Commissioner) was the only Commissioner to make Forbes Magazine's List of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women; she held position 59. [3]
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Mario Monti is particularly notable for his ruling during the GE-Honeywell merger attempt in 2001. General Electric, a US company, sought to acquire another US company, Honeywell. This merger had been approved by US authorities, however Monti, with the backing of the rest of the commission, rejected the merger; [2]
The merger between GE and Honeywell, as it was notified, would have severely reduced competition in the aerospace industry and resulted ultimately in higher prices for customers, particularly airlines. However, there were ways of eliminating these concerns and allowing the merger to proceed. I regret that the companies were not able to agree on a solution that would have met the Commission's competition concerns.
Rather than be blocked from the European market, the merger was abandoned. This was the first time that a merger between two US companies had been blocked solely by European authorities, [4] only the second time it had blocked just two US companies and only the 15th merger it had blocked ever since it started work. [2] On 1 May 2004 Monti oversaw a radical change in the Competition powers of the Commission concerning antitrust regulation, merger controls, licensing agreements and air transport. [5]
During Neelie Kroes' hearing at the European Parliament, MEPs expressed concern about whether Ms Kroes had a sufficiently detailed grasp of certain specific subjects, but was approved as part of the Commission in 2004.
Since then she states that she promotes a fair and free business environment, achieving sustainable economic growth and higher employment. The commission has been involved in a number of high-profile cases fighting anticompetitive behaviour; such as the case against the merger of Sony – BMG, against Apple Inc. regarding iTunes [6] and the ongoing case against Microsoft.
The latter has been an ongoing dispute on a number of issues, in April 2007 Microsoft became the first company to refuse to comply with the Commissions rulings, in response Commissioner Kroes is looking at more harsher methods to gain the co-operation of companies; "We have never, ever before encountered a company that has refused to comply with commission decisions ... We learned we may have to look for a more effective remedy." [7] In September 2007, the Court of First Instance (EU's second highest court) upheld the commission's decision to fine Microsoft 497 million euro and its order for to Microsoft for it to share its information setting what the Commission described as an "important precedent". Kroes stated that "Today's court ruling…shows that the Commission was right to take its decision, and right to take firm action to enforce that decision". Either party may appeal to the European Court of Justice. [8] In response to the ruling the US Justice Departments top antitrust official, Thomas Barnett, criticised the ruling which sparked a response from Kroes stating that "It is totally unacceptable that a representative of the US administration criticises an independent court of law outside its jurisdiction ... It is absolutely not on. The European Commission does not pass judgement on rulings by US courts and we expect the same degree of respect from US authorities for rulings by EU courts." [9]
Kroes holds a strong belief in free market principles and was tough with offenders. By the time her term as Competition Commissioner ended, she had completed most major cases. [10]
Joaquín Almunia, previously the Finance Commissioner, took on the competition portfolio under the second Barroso Commission in 2010 and was expected to have a tenure similar to Kroes' stringent run. [10] His appointment was welcomed by competition lawyers as someone well qualified and experienced. [10] He also impressed Parliament at his hearing and early on in his work had to deal with whether or not to pursue action against Google. [11] He also come out in favour of the idea of a European Monetary Fund to deal with defaulting member states. [12]
Margrethe Vestager was the European Commissioner responsible for Competition matters during the 2014-2024 period. She was part of both the Juncker and Von Der Leyen I college of Commissioners [13] .
Her two terms at the European Commission were marked by strong enforcement across the full spectrum of competition policy. The cases brought against the abuse of dominance by large digital companies [14] , as well as the Apple Tax case [15] , are among the most notable.
Her leadership obtained much praise [16] , as well as criticism [17] .
On 1 December 2024, Teresa Ribera was appointed First Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition and European Commissioner for Competition under the second Von der Leyen Commission.
| No. | Picture | Commissioner for Competition | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | European | Country | Commission | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hans von der Groeben (1907–2005) | 7 January 1958 | 2 July 1967 | 9 years, 176 days | Independent | Independent |  West Germany | Hallstein I–II | ||
| 2 | Maan Sassen (1911–1995) | 30 June 1967 | 30 June 1970 | 3 years, 0 days | KVP | Independent |  Netherlands | Rey | ||
| 3 | Albert Borschette (1920–1976) | 1 July 1970 | 20 July 1976 | 6 years, 19 days | Independent | Independent |  Luxembourg | Malfatti Mansholt Ortoli | ||
| 4 | Raymond Vouel (1923–1987) | 21 July 1976 | 6 January 1981 | 4 years, 170 days | LSAP | PES | Luxembourg | Ortoli Jenkins | ||
| 5 | Frans Andriessen (1929–2019) | 6 January 1981 | 5 January 1985 | 3 years, 365 days | KVP | EPP | Netherlands | Thorn | ||
| 6 | Peter Sutherland (1946–2018) | 7 January 1985 | 5 January 1989 | 4 years, 0 days | Fine Gael | EPP |  Ireland | Delors I | ||
| 7 | Leon Brittan (1939–2015) | 6 January 1989 | 5 January 1993 | 3 years, 365 days | Conservative | ED |  United Kingdom | Delors II | ||
| 8 | Karel Van Miert (1942–2009) | 6 January 1993 | 13 September 1999 | 6 years, 250 days | sp.a | PES |  Belgium | Delors III Santer | ||
| 9 | Mario Monti (born 1943) | 15 September 1999 | 30 October 2004 | 5 years, 45 days | Independent | Independent |  Italy | Prodi | ||
| 10 | Neelie Kroes (born 1941) | 22 November 2004 | 9 February 2010 | 5 years, 79 days | VVD | ELDR | Netherlands | Barroso I | ||
| 11 | Joaquín Almunia (born 1948) | 9 February 2010 | 1 November 2014 | 4 years, 265 days | PSOE | PES |  Spain | Barroso II | ||
| 12 | Margrethe Vestager (born 1968) | 1 November 2014 | 30 November 2024 | 10 years, 29 days | Social Liberals | ALDE |  Denmark | Juncker Von der Leyen I | ||
| 12 | Teresa Ribera (born 1969) | 30 November 2024 | Incumbent | 67 days | PSOE | PES | Spain | Von der Leyen II | ||
Mario Monti is an Italian politician, economist and academic who served as the Prime Minister of Italy from 2011 to 2013, leading a technocratic government in the wake of the Italian debt crisis.
Neelie Kroes is a retired Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and businessperson who served as European Commissioner from 22 November 2004 to 1 November 2014.
Margrethe Vestager is a Danish politician currently who formerly served as Executive Vice President of the European Commission for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age between December 2019 and November 2024 in the Von Der Leyen Commission and was European Commissioner for Competition between 2014 and 2024 under Commission Presidents Juncker and Von Der Leyen. Vestager is a member of the Danish Social Liberal Party, and of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party (ALDE) on the European level.
Microsoft Corp. v. Commission is a case brought by the European Commission of the European Union (EU) against Microsoft for abuse of its dominant position in the market. It started as a complaint from Sun Microsystems over Microsoft's licensing practices in 1993, and eventually resulted in the EU ordering Microsoft to divulge certain information about its server products and release a version of Microsoft Windows without Windows Media Player. The European Commission especially focused on the interoperability issue.
The Directorate-General for Competition is a Directorate-General of the European Commission, located in Brussels. The DG Competition employs around 850 officials, as well as a number of seconded national officials, among other from national competition authorities. It is responsible for establishing and implementing competition policy for the European Union. DG Competition has a dual role in antitrust enforcement: an investigative role and a decision-making role. The current Director-General is Olivier Guersent.
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The Executive Vice President of the European Commission for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age is an Executive Vice President of the European Commission responsible for media and information issues such as telecoms and IT. The current officeholder is Margrethe Vestager from December 2019 until 30th November 2024.
European Union merger law is a part of the law of the European Union. It is charged with regulating mergers between two or more entities in a corporate structure. This institution has jurisdiction over concentrations that might or might not impede competition. Although mergers must comply with policies and regulations set by the commission; certain mergers are exempt if they promote consumer welfare. Mergers that fail to comply with the common market may be blocked. It is part of competition law and is designed to ensure that firms do not acquire such a degree of market power on the free market so as to harm the interests of consumers, the economy and society as a whole. Specifically, the level of control may lead to higher prices, less innovation and production.
AMD v. Intel was a private antitrust lawsuit, filed in the United States by Advanced Micro Devices ("AMD") against Intel Corporation in June 2005.
Microsoft has been involved in numerous high-profile legal matters that involved litigation over the history of the company, including cases against the United States, the European Union, and competitors.
AGC Glass Europe is an international glass manufacturing group based in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, and the European branch of the AGC Inc. Group.
The Juncker Commission was the European Commission in office from 1 November 2014 to 30 November 2019. Its president was Jean-Claude Juncker, who presided over 27 other commissioners. In July 2014, Juncker was officially elected to succeed José Manuel Barroso, who completed his second five-year term in that year.
Luxembourg Leaks is the name of a financial scandal revealed in November 2014 by a journalistic investigation conducted by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. It is based on confidential information about Luxembourg's tax rulings set up by PricewaterhouseCoopers from 2002 to 2010 to the benefits of its clients. This investigation resulted in making available to the public tax rulings for over three hundred multinational companies based in Luxembourg.
Since 2010, the European Union has investigated several antitrust complaints against Google alleging abuses of its dominant position in breach of the EU's competition laws. Three complaints have resulted in formal charges against Google: those relating to Google Shopping, the Android operating system and to Google AdSense. Google has been found guilty of antitrust breaches in the three cases and has been fined over €8 billion. In 2020, the European Union has also launched a full investigation of Google's proposed acquisition of the fitness tracker and wearable health company Fitbit, under the EU Merger Regulation. The operation was eventually cleared on 17 December 2020 subject to conditions.
Fiona M. Scott Morton is an American economist who serves as the Theodore Nierenberg Professor at Yale School of Management. Her research in industrial organization has covered industries including magazines, shipping, pharmaceuticals, and internet retail. She served as associate dean of the Yale School of Management from 2007 to 2010.
Apple's EU tax dispute refers to an investigation by the European Commission into tax arrangements between Apple and Ireland, which allowed the company to pay close to zero corporate tax over 10 years.
The von der Leyen Commission was the European Commission in office from 1 December 2019 to 30 November 2024. It consisted of one commissioner from each of the member states of the European Union – including Ursula von der Leyen, its president, who is from Germany.
The Digital Markets Act (DMA) is an EU regulation that aims to make the digital economy fairer and more contestable. The regulation entered into force on 1 November 2022 and became applicable, for the most part, on 2 May 2023.
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