EU regulators ease antitrust rules for joint buying alliances, data sharing

BRUSSELS: Supermarkets teaming up to buy goods jointly, companies sharing data and telecoms providers sharing mobile infrastructure will not run afoul of antitrust rules if such agreements are pro-competitive, European Union regulators said on Thursday as part of an overhaul of the rules.

EU competition enforcers typically frown on such alliances, which can potentially be cartels or attempts to shut out rivals. Such anti-competitive practices can expose companies to fines as much as 10% of their global turnover.

The two new Horizontal Block Exemption Regulations (HBERs) and Horizontal Guidelines aim to provide businesses with clarity on how they can cooperate in research and development, production, purchasing, commercialisation, standardisation or exchange of information.