Sustainability Agreements under EU Competition Law: Draft Revised Guidelines on Horizontal Cooperation Agreements

• Year: 2023

Speaker

Ms. Vera Pozzato is an Italian qualified lawyer specialized in competition law, with more than 10 years' experience in the enforcement of competition law. She has worked as a business lawyer in private practice in Italy and has joined the Directorate-General for Competition of the European Commission in 2006, where she is currently a policy officer, in charge of antitrust case support and policy.

Vera has worked as senior case handler in unit C3 of DG Competition, which is in charge of antitrust investigation in the IT, internet and consumer electronics sector. In this role, she has, inter alia, investigated Google’s abusive practices in online search and online search advertising, as well as Facebook’s data practices. Vera also worked for 3 years as a legal advisor at the European Data Protection Supervisor with a focus on digital economy, IT systems and databases with an impact on privacy and data protection.

Topic

This e-presentation provides an extensive analysis of the integration of sustainability principles within the European Commission's draft revised Guidelines on Horizontal Cooperation Agreements. It delves into the chapter dedicated to sustainability agreements, exploring their comprehensive assessment under Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

The primary objective of this e-presentation is to offer a thorough examination of the guidelines' treatment of sustainability considerations, shedding light on the various dimensions of sustainability that are taken into account. It delves into the specific provisions and methodologies employed to evaluate the compatibility of sustainability agreements with the provisions outlined in Article 101 TFEU.

Throughout the presentation, a multifaceted approach is adopted to provide a comprehensive understanding of sustainability's significance in the context of horizontal cooperation agreements. The analysis encompasses economic, social, and environmental aspects, highlighting the interconnectedness of these dimensions and their impact on the overall sustainability goals.

Related documents

Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union

...