The priorities of the Belgian Competition Authority for 2018 are largely the same as last year. A notable difference is that, whereas last year the BCA considered the liberalised sectors and network industries in general as one of the priorities, this year it only mentions the telecommunications market in this context.
The Belgian Competition Authority (BCA) recently published its prioritisation policy for the year 2018. The BCA states that it intends to take action in certain sectors, although it will prosecute serious infringements of competition law in all sectors of the economy.
Just like last year, the BCA wants to focus on the telecommunications market. The other liberalised sectors and network industries, however, are no longer targeted as such.
The distribution sector and the relationships between distributors and suppliers are again a priority for the BCA. Referring to a report from the Price Observatory, the BCA indicates that Belgian consumers are still paying more for products in supermarkets than consumers in the principal neighbouring countries.
We also see continuity regarding services to companies and consumers. Again, the BCA refers to detailed reports from the National Bank and the Price Observatory on price development in the services sector and the functioning of the legal, accounting, architectural and technical services markets. Professional associations are among those being targeted.
In addition, public tenders remain an important issue for the BCA. These represent a substantial part of gross national product and can prove extremely sensitive to cartel agreements.
Finally, as in 2017, the pharmaceutical sector and the logistics sector remain in the sights of the BCA.