In my third year at law faculty, I went to Professor Bejček's lecture on competition law and ... I was lost. I was dealing with antitrust law as a student, as a trainee at the Office for the Protection of Competition, as an author of several books, as a lecturer, as a deputy chairman of the Office for the Protection of Competition, I worked at the court, until life took me to the legal profession. I like to learn how markets work, it fascinates me to be around great things. Competition law is the most, it sucks you in, but there is a risk it will drive you crazy. That's why I compensate: I run furiously and cheer a little less furiously at hockey games.
robert.neruda@havelpartners.czArticles by the author
Pets in the antitrust arms (Overview of competition events from June to August 2023)
We present you with the fortieth anniversary edition of our newsletter. It focuses on events that took place in the world of competition law in the summer of 2023. Our regular readers know that this is a purely subjective selection of events that we found significant or noteworthy for some reason.
The amendment of the Czech Competition Act in a nutshell IV: When breaking the rules really doesn't pay...
In the fourth and final episode of the "Amendment of the Czech Competition Act in a Nutshell" series, we focus on what the proceedings before the competition authority often end up being, i.e. sanctions and their form. In the previous episodes, we have dealt with novelties based more on the initiati
The amendment of the Czech Competition Act in a nutshell III: Variations on Hamlet
In the third episode of the series "Amendment of the Czech Competition Act in a Nutshell", we focus on the new tools that an undertaking can use to mitigate the effects of a fining decision. Given the change in the fine calculation methodology that came with the new 2018 Notice on the imposition of
The amendment of the Czech Competition Act in a nutshell II: How to make the work of the Czech Competition Authority easier...
The investigation of anticompetitive conduct is a demanding and complex discipline, often requiring extensive examination of the functioning of the markets concerned and the interactions between market participants. Securing evidence can be complicated. It can also be time-consuming to analyse. But
The amendment of the Czech Competition Act in a nutshell I: Are you sure no one is listening?
On Friday, 14 July 2023, the long-awaited amendment to the Czech Competition Act (CCA) was published in the Collection of Laws. Its main objective is to implement the ECN+ Directive (which is intended to strengthen the position of competition authorities). However, the Czech legislator used this to
Regulation on the control of foreign subsidies enters into force
The EU regulation on the control of foreign subsidies enters into force. The Regulation is intended to provide the EU with a tool to protect the internal market from subsidies provided by third countries. The Regulation gives the European Commission the power to review, on its own initiative, subsid
From the Czech woods and fields... (Overview of competition events for May 2023)
We present to you the thirty-ninth instalment of the information service regarding events that occurred in the world of competition law in April 2023. Regular readers know that this is necessarily a purely subjective selection, and one simply cannot expect complete objectivity from it.
When can a dominant terminate a business relationship? (Overview of Competition Events for April 2023)
We present to you the thirty-eighth instalment of the information service regarding events that occurred in the world of competition law in April 2023. Regular readers know that this is necessarily a purely subjective selection, and one simply cannot expect complete objectivity from it.
Sector inquiry demystified: What does experience tell us?
Recently, we have heard an unusual amount of public discussion about the need for the Competition Authority to intervene and provide remedies. This is particularly true in the context of rising food prices and attempts to point to particular culprits. Politicians and various experts make statements
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What is on the horizon in competition law?
For the weekly Ekonom, we answered questions about developments in competition law. All our answers did not fit into the article published in No. 17/2023, so we are reprinting here the full text of the questions and our answers regarding green antitrust, bid-rigging, high fines for resale price mana
Quo Vadis Right of Defence? (Overview of Competition Events for March 2023)
We present to you the thirty-seventh instalment of the information service regarding events that occurred in the world of competition law in March 2023. Regular readers know that this is necessarily a purely subjective selection, and one simply cannot expect complete objectivity from it.
Removed tracks write competition history (Overview of competition events for January and February 2023)
We present to you the thirty-sixth instalment of our newsletter on events that occurred in the world of competition law in January and February 2023. Regular readers will not be surprised that this is a purely subjective selection.
Contributed to articles
The saga continues: Illumina hit with €432 million fine for acquiring GRAIL without the Commission's approval
The European Commission fined Illumina a record €432 million for implementing the acquisition of GRAIL without the Commission’s approval. The fine represents the maximum amount the Commission could have imposed under EU competition rules in this case – 10% of the company's annual turnover. The fine
Groundbreaking decision on supervision of collective management of copyright works
At the end of last month, the Regional Court in Brno declared null and void two decisions of the Office for the Protection of Competition, which fined collective management entities, OSA and INTERGRAM, for alleged abuse of dominant position. The Court (in line with the reasoning proposed by HAVEL &