The new Autorité de Régulation des Activités ferroviaires (ARAF- Railway Activities Regulatory Authority) has been implemented.
GERMAN
Das Gesetz vom 8. Dezember 2009 führt die rechtlichen Rahmenvorschriften der Eisenbahnregulierung ein. Die neue „Autorité de Régulation des Activités Ferroviaires“ (ARAF – Einsenbahnregulierungsbehörde) ist eingesetzt worden.
SPANISH
La ley del 8 de diciembre del 2009 organiza la regulación del transporte ferroviario y establece la nueva Autoridad de regulación.
La nueva “Autorité de Régulation des Activités ferroviaires” (la Autoridad de regulación de las actividades ferroviarias) ha sido implementada.
Indeed, President Koen Lenaerts has taken up the question of the influence of the adoption of a "compliance program" by a company when subsequently anticompetitive behavior is imputed to it.
Competition or regulatory authorities, as well as courts, have three possibilities: either to consider that the company had done what it could to prevent this behavior, to educate the persons in its charge, that this prevention not enough but must be taken into account in its "discharge" to lighten its sanction; on the contrary, to consider that the adoption of such a compliance program by the enterprise by which it expresses its express and pro-active desire to bear the efficiency of the standard itself while at the same time it disregards it constitutes an aggravating circumstance of its responsibility; consider that the fact must remain neutral in the judge's assessment of the behavior.
The Court of Justice stands by the third solution.
But everyone agrees that this is an essential question for which the arguments are well-founded, the European Commission, on the other hand, leaning towards the qualification of an aggravating fact.
During the discussion, it was emphasized in the opposite direction that in the perspective of Compliance as an incentive mechanism, not taking into account on the part of companies the adoption of such expensive programs is very discouraging for them. Moreover, this contradicts the definition of compliance as a "Trust pact" between the company and the public authority.
____
QWhat can be done to remain from this discussion of a very great interest?
So it's a question that is still open, because the arguments are strong and we could say that "everyone is right", and companies that want to take note of their behavior, and authorities who can not be abused by what would be only a screen of behavior violating Law.
The question is maybe whether the choice of "neutrality" of the Court of Justice is a solution of waiting or a decision of non-choice, because one could never know if a company is "sincere" or not when it has adopted a Compliance Program.
It is probably here that a solution could be found: in probative mechanisms. Because in these matters, it is by technical processes by which the subject of law (that is to say the company) reveals that it has done everything to achieve the Compliance purpose (obligation of means strengthened). ).
It is probably by formulating probative requirements of this kind that the Court of Justice could move out of its position of neutrality. While it is true that the judge must be "impartial" in relation to the facts, the attitude of giving no "relevance" to a fact as important as the compliance programs is inherently annoying. It seems difficult to associate a substantive rule, nor is it desirable to practice casuistry. But, because Economic Law lends itself to it, a probationary system that the Court would make clear would perhaps be a good solution.
____
Dans l'ouvrage qui paraîtra à la fin du cycle de conférences, un article sera inséré dans l'ouvrage sur cette question plus particulière de la portée des programmes de conformité sur l'appréciation du comportement de l'opérateur au regard des faits qui lui sont reprochés, question sur laquelle les différents régulateurs des différents systèmes juridiques divergent.
In the book that will be published at the end of the conference cycle, an article will be inserted in it on this particular question of the effects of compliance programs on the appreciation of the behavior of the enterprises with regard to the facts that are reproached, an issue on which the different regulators of the different legal systems diverge. For the moment.
This particular statutory provision shows the proximity between Regulation and Governance, nearby sometimes believed limited to the sphere of banking and finance.
This is designed especially for managers of transport networks which are often subsidiaries of incumbents production and energy sales, economic and legal integration that the law does not prohibit even though it requires independence transport network managers. This independence must be de facto and not de jure, which is a higher requirement than mere legal autonomy of companies, the result of the requirements of "governance", the operator is obliged not to exercise the rights and powers its parent company status yet gives a regular basis so that the first principle of independence of the network manager is preserved.
The relationship between the controlling shareholder and its subsidiary are governed by "codes of conduct" in the mandatory order of the independence of management and decision making of the subsidiary. In a 90-page reportthe regulator sets the constraints so that this goal leads in effect on the parent company, beyond corporate law.
However, the regulator is very severe. It believes that the way in which subsidiaries present themselves to consumers mark such similarity with their parent that these third parties can't identify them as independent of them. According to the regulator, consumers therefore don't identify them as carriers or distributors of energy also offered by competitors of their parent.
Thus, the regulator considers it necessary that these subsidiaries will change their brands, logos and legal designation, eg ERDF ceases to have a name so close to EDF.
The implicit question is the legal effect of such reproaches and suggestions, if the companies aren't listening. The report discusses the prospect to bring the question before their independent body able to impose sanctions. But the case will be difficult because the principle of independence meets the principle of freedom and the terms of the interference between regulatory law and corporate law aren't yet clearly established.
In The Journal of Regulation the summaries’ translation are done by the Editors and not by the authors
ENGLISH
On November 28, 2011, the French Council of State issued a summary judgment suspending the Government price freeze on household natural gas prices because the ‘price scissors’ effect it had was harming competition, and because no superior legal norm justified the freeze.
FRENCH
Le28Novembre2011,le Conseild’Etat a rendu une Ordonnance de référé, suspendant le gel des prixdu gouvernementconcernant les prixdomestiquesdu gaz naturel, carl’effet de «ciseauxdes prix" avaitpour effet de nuire à la concurrence,et parce qu’il n’existe pas de normejuridique supérieurejustifiait cegel des tarifs par un décret.
SPANISH
El 28 de noviembrede 2011, elConsejo de Estado francésemitió una orden judicialde congelacióndel precio delgobiernosobre los precios internosdelgas natural,porque el efecto del"precio detijeras"efecto fue el deperjudicar a la competencia,y porqueno existe una normalegalquejustificaelcongelamiento de las tarifaspor decreto.
ITALIAN
Il 28 novembre 2011, il Consiglio di stato francese ha reso una sentenza sommaria in cui ordina la sospensione de gelo dei prezzi del gas naturale per le famiglie, previsto precedentemente dal governo, l’effetto “forbice prezzi” causato da tale decisione stava causando danni alla libera concorrenza e poiché tale decisione di gelare i prezzi non era fondata su nessuna norma legale superiore.
SPANISH
El 28 de noviembre del 2011, el Conseil d’Etat (Consejo de Estado de Francia) decidió que la prohibición de los OGM establecido por varias decretos ministeriales en diciembre 2007 y febrero 2008 no son válidos. La razón principal detrás de esta decisión es la falta de prueba suficiente dada por el gobierno francés que los OGM representan una gran amenaza a la salud pública y el ambiente. No obstante, los Ministros de Agricultura y Ambiente declararon el 13 de enero 2012 que esta misma prohibición será adoptada.
After suspending the freeze of gas prices for consumers, the "Conseil d’Etat" (French Council of State) in a judgment of 10 July 2012, cancels the freeze, as it constitutes an error of law, because it shows that the Government has not incorporated or offset procurement costs borne by the public service provider.
FRENCH
Après avoir suspendu le gel des tarifs gaiers pour les consommateurs, le Conseil d’Etat, dans un arrêt du 10 juillet 2012, a annulé l’arrêté qui avait imposé ce gel, en ce qu’il constitue un erreur de droit, parce qu’il montre que le Gouvernement n’avait pas incorporé ou offert de compenser les coûts supportés par le fournisseur de service public.
Two and a half years after having been established by the LME, the French Competition Authority has uncontestably acquired its “place in the sun” amongst the competition authorities of other countries, as demonstrated by multiple indicators.
ITALIAN
Articolo: L’Autorità garante della concorrenza tra “regolazione” e politica in materia di concorrenza
Due anni e mezzo dopo l’instaurazione da parte del LME, l’Autorità francese garante della libera concorrenza ha trovato il suo posto tra le diverse autorità degli altri paesi, così come è stato dimostrato da diversi indicatori.
SPANISH
Artículo: La Autoridad de la competencia, entre “regulación” y política competitiva.
Después de dos años y medio de haber sido establecido por el LME, la Autoridad francesa de la competencia ha incontestablemente adquirido su “lugar bajo el sol” entre las autoridades de la competencia de otros países, como demostrado por varios indicadores.
Full title : Avis n°15-A-01 du 6 janvier 2015 relatif à des projets de décrets pris pour l'application de la loi portant réforme ferroviaire (Opinion No. 15-A-01 of 6 January 2015 on draft orders made for the purposes of the law on rail reform)
In France, the Minister of Ecology has issued an Order to facilitate the
purchase of electricity generated by wind. The text is being challenged
before the "Conseil d’Etat" (State Council) for illegality, in that it
constitutes state aid. The State Council considers the matter serious
enough to suspend the proceeding and seized the Court of Justice of the
European Union of a preliminary question on 15 May 2012.
FRENCH
En France, le ministre de l’Ecologie a émis une ordonnance afin de faciliter l’achat de l’électricité produite par le vent. Le texte est actuellement contestée devant le «Conseil d’Etat" (Conseil d’Etat) pour cause d’illégalité, en ce qu’elle constitue une aide d’Etat. Le Conseil d’Etat considère que l’affaire suffisamment grave pour suspendre la procédure et saisi la Cour de justice de l’Union européenne d’une question préjudicielle le 15 mai 2012.
