EC truck cartel case signals policy change- ABA event

Kevin Coates spoke at an American Bar Association webinar entitled “Cartel and Criminal Practice Update” and is quoted in a PaRR article regarding the significance of the European Commission’s July truck cartel decision. According to Coates, this is the first case in which the EC issued a normal procedure statement of objections (SO) to parties, and then agreed after the SO had been sent to enter into and conclude settlement discussions.

He said that this is notable because it reflects the commission’s policy position that the greatest procedural efficiencies ought to be found before the SO is written. It shows that “the commission is committed to settlement not out of the goodness of its heart, but because it thinks it will save resources ultimately in handling the cartel cases, and that it will be able to handle more, and more quickly.”