Over 60 articles from 24 antitrust offices of Member States and the European Commission – current news on antitrust law can be found by the readers in the ECN Brief, the first issue of the information magazine of the European Competition Network, available free of charge.

It is already out and you can read the first issue of ECN Brief – the news bulletin of the European Competition Network edited by the European Commission. The Commssion has published a bimonthly magazine prepared on the basis of materials developed by the members of ECN (European Competition Network) that will contain examples of practices restricting competition. Interested readers can also subscribe the magazine free of charge. The articles published in the first issue of the bulletin cover the period between September 2009 and January 2010.

English-language bulletin is divided into five parts concerning the decisions of the antitrust offices on practices restricting competition, latest changes in legislation, law related events, as well as data on particular offices and statistics of cases handled by them. The intention of the magazine’s founders consists in an increase in transparency of actions undertaken by the European Competition Network, promotion of competition law and dissemination of information on decision-making practices of particular authorities.

From the very beginning, the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection was greatly involved in the initiative of creating the magazine. UOKiK’s contribution to the bulletin regards the liquidation of a cement cartel (on whose members fines were imposed in 2009 that were the highest ones in the hitherto practice of the Office and amounted to PLN 411 million in total) as well as the twentieth anniversary of establishing UOKiK and events organised to mark this occasion.

UOKiK represents Poland in the European Competition Network that has existed since 1st May 2004 on the basis of Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2003 of 16 December 2002 on the implementation of the rules on competition laid down in Articles 101 and 102 of the Treaty. It is composed of antitrust offices of the Member States of the European Union. The measures undertaken by the European Competition Network aim to enhance the cooperation between the European antitrust authorities, the knowledge exchange as well as share experiences in combating competition restricting practices. The cooperation framework in ECN is also defined by the Commission Notice on cooperation within the Network of Competition Authorities.

Additional information on ECN:
Sonia Jóźwiak, Specialist
Department of International Relations and Communication
Pl. Powstańców Warszawy 1, 00-950 Warszawa
Tel (+48 22) 55 60 164
faks (+48 22) 826 11 86
E-mail: sonia.jozwiak@uokik.gov.pl

Additional information:
Małgorzata Cieloch, Spokesperson for UOKiK
Department of International Relations and Communication
Pl. Powstańców Warszawy 1, 00-950 Warsaw, Poland
Tel. (+48 22) 827 28 92, 55 60 106, 55 60 430
faks (+48 22) 826 11 86
E-mail: malgorzata.cieloch@uokik.gov.pl