In France, The "Autorité de la Concurrence" -ADLC (French Competition Authority) may deliver opinions. An association of importers of petroleum products asked it his opinion on statistics of sales made by each warehouse of petroleum products on each area of the national territory, published monthly. By notice on May 15, 2012, the Authority replied that such statistics on each operator are welcome because they generate transparency on the retail market, although it should be that statistics cover all of the territory and are published every six months or annually.
The Conseil d'État advises the Government on the preparation of bills, ordinances and certain decrees. It also answers the Government's queries on legal affairs and conducts studies upon the request of the Government or through its own initiative regarding administrative or public policy issues.
The Conseil d'État is the highest administrative jurisdiction - it is the final arbiter of cases relating to executive power, local authorities, independent public authorities, public administration agencies or any other agency invested with public authority.
In discharging the dual functions of judging as well as advising the Government, the Conseil d'État ensures that the French administration operates in compliance with the law. It is therefore one of the principal guarantees of the rule of law in the country.
The Conseil d'État is also responsible for the day-to-day management of the administrative tribunals and courts of appeal.
This is currently the great battle and no one knows the outcome.
By its jugdment Grande Stevens of 4 March 2014, the European Court of Human Rights held that a state can't punish a person for a criminal penalty and administrative penalty for the same fact, criticized in market matters.
In the movement of the "dialogue of judges," the Conseil d'Etat (French State Council) asked 27 July 2014 the Conseil constitutionnel (French Constitutional Counci) l the question of compliance from this addition to the French Constitution for financial penalty in the use of public funds. By a decision of 24 October 2014, the Constitutional Council considered that this combination was consistent with the Constitution, mainly because the administrative sanction would be a "different kind" as punishment, because each pursues a different objective.
In turn, by a judgment of 17 December 2014, the Cour de cassation (French Judicial Supreme Court) decided to refer to the Constitutional Council two priority issues of constitutionality.
The presentation of the problem by the Cour de Cassation is the following. By its terms, it shows the hostility of the Court of Cassation to the doctrine hitherto developed by the State Council and the Constitutional Council.
First, the interpretation of French law provides penal proceedings against a person for facts on which it has been exonerated by the financial regulator by the Sanctions Committee thereof. This may contradict the constitutional principle of res judicata, as incurred administrative penalties are comparable to penal sanctions.
Second, this possibility could also contradict the constitutional principles of equality, necessity of criminal law and respect of non bis in idem mechanism.
Certainly, cleverly, the Supreme Court asks not accumulated penalties but of double jeopardy, which when one went out to "turn" the other.
Will the Constitutional Council get easier in accordance with European design without recant ? For example, it could estimate that the cumulative sentences is eligible as soon as proportionality is respected, but the extinction of a case before a judge removes the ability to exercise the other?
Or shouLawopen the wound? Finally decide to open rather multiple sides bear claw blows?
The Finance Committee of the Senate works to think in a more consistent way sanctioning powers of financial regulators need. Indeed, sanctions are tools that must be thought at first hand according to the goals that must be provided in the second part in relation to other tools the financial regulator has, in the third part in relation to the purposes and powers other authorities are responsible and have (supervisory authorities, European bodies, foreign and international judges, professional authorities).
It is in this overall vision that this storm that exceeds the glass of water must be replaced.
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.
The "Société de Législation comparée" (Society of Comparative Legislation) publishes the acts of a symposium.
The notion of "service of general economic interest" was developed by the European Commission and the European Court of Justice, before the Treaty, including the Lisbon Treaty and its Protocol 26, give it its place.
Thus, member States, as demonstrated by the collective work, must take into consideration, this European doctrine, that balances competition and public service, and no longer develop national concept of utilities ignorant of legal developments in Law of the European Union.
Prof. Pan conducts research on financial regulation, capital markets, corporate governance and international law. Among his many professional activities, he directs the Chatham House City Series and frequently speaks about international financial and corporate law issues across North America, Europe and Asia. Prof. Pan is a member of The American Law Institute.
Before joining Cardozo, Prof. Pan was an attorney for several years with Covington & Burling in Washington, DC, where he practiced corporate, securities and international law. He also was a Jean Monnet Lecturer in Law at Warwick University, England, and a visiting fellow in international law at Cambridge University, England.
He is currently serving as an Academic Fellow in the Office of International Affairs at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, DC.
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.
In The Journal of Regulation the summaries’ translation are done by the Editors and not by the authors
ENGLISH
On 16 November 2011, Moody’s downgraded twelve public-sector German banks, after regulatory changes in Germany and the EU.
FRENCH
Le 16 novembre 2011, Moody"s a dégradé douze banques publiques allemandes, après des changements dans la régulation financière en Allemagne et dans l’Union Européenne.
SPANISH
El 16 de noviembre del 2011, Moody’s degradó doce bancos del sector público alemán, después de cambios regulatorios en Alemania y la UE.
ITALIAN
Il 16 novembre 2011, Moody’s ha declassato dodici banche tedesche del settore pubblico, dopo dei cambiamenti nella regolazione finanziaria in Germania e nell’Unione europea.
