France: Regulator announces its priorities for 2020

The Autorité will continue to make digital technology one of its top priorities in 2020. The digital revolution is profoundly affecting the economy and competitive dynamics. This is why substantial resources will be dedicated to deciphering these issues: it is a question of fully evaluating the economic changes brought about by the digital revolution (in the retail sector in particular), as well as being able to prevent or sanction new forms of cartels or abuses of a dominant position.

We therefore intend to further strengthen the human resources dedicated to detecting and analysing the behaviour adopted by players in the digital sector. This will notably involve creating a new specialised department, reporting directly to the Autorité’s General Rapporteur: the Digital Economy Unit.

It will be responsible for developing in-depth expertise in these areas and for providing support in cases with a significant digital dimension, whether they involve company mergers or investigations relating to compliance with competition law. The department will first focus on developing new tools (conceptual framework, investigation methods) that will enable the Autorité to effectively understand the economics of these platforms. It will work in liaison with the academic world and research institutions specialised in digital technology. It will also work in close cooperation with other competition authorities, in Europe and internationally, other regulators and relevant government departments.

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