Regulation (EC) No. 330/2010 [4] exempts vertical agreements from the prohibition in Article 101, paragraph 1 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which meet the requirements for the exemption and do not contain so-called “strict” restrictions on competition. The main exception concerns vehicle distribution agreements which, until 31 May 2013, are subject to a three-year extension of the Council`s Regulation (EC) (EC) No. 461/2010 (Regulation (EC) No. 1400/2002 [5]. [6] Although the latter regulation is Regulation (EC) 330/2010 relating to agreements relating to the repair of motor vehicles and the distribution of spare parts from 1st It also complements Regulation 330 by three additional “hardcore” clauses Vertical Agreement is illegal under Article 101, paragraph 2 of the TFUE, where the agreement has a restrictive “authorization object” or a “restrictive effect” within the meaning of Article 101, paragraph 1, of the EUTS. However, if the parties can demonstrate that it is covered by a potentially applicable category exemption or that it may be expressly justified for reasons of effectiveness within the meaning of Section 101, paragraph 3, of the TFUE, it may be exempt from the tax. It is only when a contextual assessment has a “sufficiently damaging” effect on competition (or the absence of credible welfare virtues) that an agreement can be considered an “object” within the meaning of Article 101, paragraph 1, of the EUTF. [10] Conclusion The Commission`s assessment of the VBER and the vertical guidelines strongly demonstrates that the Commission will not allow the current regime to be repealed, as it has made a significant contribution to legal and commercial certainty in the area of distribution law and other vertical agreements. However, the Commission`s assessment shows that the current VB and vertical guidelines do not adequately address important digital developments such as the rapid growth of online sales and the growing importance of online market platforms as a mode of distribution. The Commission`s impact analysis questionnaire and the public consultation questionnaire (probably by the end of 2020) will provide an increasingly clear indication of the direction of the Commission`s trip, but it is expected that the above key issues will remain essential to ensure that the regime remains appropriate.

Competition problems arise when competition is not sufficient at one or more commercial levels. There are cases where certain types of agreements do not automatically fall within the scope of Article 101 of the TFUE: On 8.B September, the European Commission (EC) published a working paper from the Commission`s services summarising the results of its assessment of the Vertical Category Exemption Regulation (VBER) and the accompanying vertical guidelines. The results show that the VBER and the guidelines are useful instruments for companies to assess their own compliance with EU competition law. However, since the introduction of the VBER and the guidelines in 2010, the market has changed significantly, due in part to growth in online revenue, the increased role of online platforms and changes in distribution models. As a result, the EC`s assessment highlighted a number of problems with the VBER and the guidelines to be addressed. Below are the main themes identified and the likely priority areas for the EC at the beginning of the next phase of its review. Vertical agreements are agreements between companies operating at different levels of the production or distribution chain. B an agreement between a producer and a distributor. Current EU rules require companies to assess for themselves the compliance of their vertical agreements with EU competition law, which prohibits competition-limiting agreements under Article 101, paragraph 1, of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.