Enforcement action remains an option as EC closes sector competition inquiry

The European Commission has published its final report into whether practices in business insurance breach EC competition law but has left the door open as to whether it will take further action on several key areas. Following their comments on the EC’s interim report in our March 2007 issue, John Pheasant, Partner, Hogan & Hartson London and Brussels and Jean-Michel Coumes, Counsel, Hogan & Hartson Brussels present their expert view on the EC’s conclusions.

On 25 September 2007 the European Commission published the final report on its sector inquiry into business insurance (“the Final Report”). The Final Report is the last of the reports in the various sector inquiries launched by the Commission in July 2005. Final reports on the energy sector and the retail banking sector were published in January 2007. The energy sector inquiry sparked a number of Commission investigations into alleged anti-competitive practices amongst energy companies.