EC Issues Revised Guidelines on Agreements Between Competitors: 10 Key Takeaways
- Frédéric Louis, Cormac O'Daly, Anne Vallery
- 7.7.2023
On June 1, 2023, the European Commission (EC) adopted revised Horizontal Guidelines (HGs) and two updated block exemption regulations (BERs) on research and development (R&D) and “specialisation” agreements. These materials provide valuable guidance on how European Union (EU) competition law applies to agreements between competitors. The BERs apply from July 1, 2023. The documents are intended to remain in force until June 2035.
The revised HGs are almost 170 pages long, and the BERs, while short, are complex at times. With the dust having settled a little since the EC issued these materials, here are 10 of our main takeaways.
