New Year – New Minimum Fines for Competition Law Violations in Turkey

New 2017 year brought an increase of the minimum administrative fines by 3,83% for the competition law violations in Turkey, such as provision of false or misleading information/documents, M&A without the authorization of the Turkish Competition Authority (“TCA”), hindering the on-spot-inspections. As of 1.01.2017 the level of minimum administrative fines shall constitute TRY 18.377 (approx.…

New Block Exemption Communiqué No.2017/3 For The Vertical Agreements In Motor Vehicle Sector

On 24 February 2017, Block Exemption Communiqué No. 2017/3 on Vertical Agreements in Motor Vehicle Sector (“Communiqué No. 2017/3”) entered into force upon its publication in the Official Gazette. On 7 March 2017, Guidelines on Explanation of Communiqué No. 2017/3 was also released on the website of the Turkish Competition Authority. Communiqué No. 2017/3 abolishes…

Developments on Vertical Agreements in Turkey: Draft Guidelines Are Open To Public Consultations

Introduction On 20 July 2017, the Turkish Competition Authority (“TCA”) announced its draft amendments to the Guidelines on Vertical Agreements (“Draft Guidelines”) on its website and provided the opportunity to the interested parties, including both the consumers and the undertakings, which are active in the markets that the amendments relate to, either to explain the market…

Television Broadcasting Sector Within The Context Of TCA’s Digitalization and Convergence Study Report

The TCA conducted a TV broadcasting sector study and identified main competition problems in the Report in March 2017. Below we provide highlights of the main competition concerns that arise from the recent technological developments, including increasing usage of the IP-based networks, digitization of the content, and 3G/4G technologies. The Report would be of a…

Main Competition Concerns in E-Commerce Sector: Highlights of The EC’s Final Report On The E-Commerce Sector Inquiry

Following a year of e-commerce sector inquiry, on 10 May 2017 the European Commission published its Final report on the e-commerce sector inquiry (“Report”) outlining prevailing market trends and competition concerns linked to e-commerce, ultimately identifying priorities for enforcing the competition rules. Companies that are active in the e-commerce sector may wish to pay a…

New Anonymous Whistleblower Tool: Individuals in Fight Against Anti-Competitive Practices

Starting from 16 March 2017, individuals can help the European Commission (“EC”) in uncovering cartels and other anti-competitive practices without disclosing their identity, made possible by the introduction of encrypted communications through an external service provider. Such positive step is expected to increase the effectiveness of the EC policies, as well as the workload of the competition authorities in their fight against anticompetitive…