Abstract

The paper analyzes the draft Guidelines on the application of competition law to horizontal cooperation agreements. In particular, after shedding light on the reasons that have led the European Commission to update the analytical regime applicable to the most common forms of agreement, it is undertaken a review of the most relevant changes as compared to the guidelines still in force. In this perspective, specific emphasis is devoted to the assessment of information exchange practices, which substantially crystallize existing EU case law, as well as to the revised guidance provided in the section on standardization agreements.