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
First prohibition under the Czech FDI screening regime
In a landmark move, the Czech government has, for the first time, exercised its powers under the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Screening Act to prohibit a foreign investment on national security grounds. While the government’s reasoning remains classified, the decision signals a shift toward a mor
Beware of dissatisfied employees: how to avoid unannounced inspections by competition authorities
In October the Regional Court in Brno (Court) issued another judgment in which it reviewed the legality of an unannounced on-site inspection by the Office for the Protection of Competition (Office). This is the first time the Court has ruled on an inspection concerning a no-poach agreement between e
Legal cooperation? Or an illegal agreement? (November 2024 Competitive Events Review)
We present you the fifty-first instalment of the information service bringing interesting facts from the world of competition law. This time we share with you a selection of events for November 2024 that caught our attention.
Boycott of a competitor is always an anticompetitive tool (Overview of competition events for October 2024)
This is the fiftieth anniversary instalment of the information service bringing interesting facts from the world of competition law. This time for October 2024. Again, it is a subjective selection of events that we found interesting.
When the Competition Authority gets dragged into the game... (Overview of Competition Events for September 2024)
We present you the forty-ninth instalment of our newsletter bringing you interesting facts from the world of competition law. This time for September 2024. Regular readers know that this is a purely subjective selection of events that we found interesting.
HAVEL & PARTNERS provided comments to the ongoing review of the Czech merger control regime
The Czech Competition Authority (the “CCA”) initiated a public consultation concerning the proposed review of the Czech merger control regime. The review may result in the most extensive changes to the regime in decades. HAVEL & PARTNERS has submitted its comments to the consultation.
When to take over employees and when not to? (Overview of competitive events for July and August 2024)
We are pleased to present you with the forty-eighth instalment of the newsletter, which brings you interesting facts from the world of competition law for July and August 2024. Regular readers will know that this is a purely subjective selection of events that we found interesting this time.
What did the first year of FDI screening in Slovakia bring?
Slovakia’s foreign direct investment (FDI) screening regime came into force on March 1, 2023. As decisions of the Slovak Ministry of Economy (MoE), a competent authority enforcing the regime, are not public, only limited information as to how the regime functions in practice has been available so fa
Leniency isn’T for free (Overview of competition events for April to June 2024)
We are pleased to present the forty-seventh instalment of our newsletter, which brings you interesting facts from the world of competition law for the period from April to June 2024. Regular readers will know that this is a purely subjective selection of events that we found interesting this time ar
New Competition Tool à la tchèque?
Rising food prices in recent years have turned the attention of the general public to the role of the Czech Competition Authority (CCA). While some view it as an accomplice to high inflation, the CCA defends itself against such accusations by pointing out that current legislation does not allow it t
The apple of discord (Overview of competition events for March 2024)
We present you the forty-sixth instalment of our newsletter, which brings you interesting news from the world of competition law for the month of March 2024. Regular readers will know that this is a purely subjective selection of events that we found interesting this time.
Sugar-coated antitrust scrutiny (Overview of competition events for February 2024)
We bring you the forty-fifth instalment of our regular newsletter on events in the world of competition law. In this edition we cover the month of February 2024. Again, this is a purely subjective selection of events that we found interesting.
Competition law as a guardian of public health (Overview of competition events for January 2024)
We are pleased to present the forty-fourth edition of our newsletter on events in the world of competition law in January 2024. Once again, we present a purely subjective selection of events that we found interesting.
Competition law scores a goal! (Overview of competition events for November and December 2023)
We are pleased to present the forty-third edition of our information service on events in the world of competition law in November and December 2023. Once again, this is a purely subjective selection of events that we think may be of interest to you.
Is that my competitor or not? (Overview of competition events for October 2023)
We present you the forty-second instalment of our information service on events that occurred in the world of competition law in October 2023. Again, this is a purely subjective selection of events that might be of interest to you from our point of view.
Modern economy faces major challenges. Will the uncompromising fight against RPM save it?
In early September, I was at the IBA Annual Competition Conference in Florence. I like those two days. I extend my summer, experience a beautiful city, meet friends, and even manage an inspiring morning run. But mostly I’m going to find out what’s driving antitrust around the world. This year again,
Flower boycott (Overview of competition events for September 2023)
We present to you the forty-first instalment of the information service on events that occurred in the world of competition law in September 2023. Again, this is a purely subjective selection of those events that we found significant or interesting.
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 &