Anca Buta Muşat, Partner with Muşat & Asociaţii, attended, as exclusive speaker for Romania, the international conference “
Competition Law Challenges in the Motor Vehicle Sector ”, held in Brussels, on 25 June 2013.
Crucial issues for the professional industry were discussed during the event, among which the European Commission’s concerns in respect of the enforcement of competition law, agreements concluded between manufacturers, service units, authorized motor dealers and spare parts distributors for the distribution of motor vehicles in Europe, challenges of the competition law and potential anti-competitive practices in view of preventing antitrust investigations, but also matters referring to market definition, warranty conditions, access to technical information and limits in the exercise of industrial property rights. Furthermore, the recent litigation submitted to the European Court of Justice was detailed, from a practical perspective, with respect to the selective quantitative distribution system established by Jaguar Land Rover France (JLR), who refused to grant the French company Auto 24 the status of authorized distributor of new vehicles of the Land Rover brand in the Périgueux region (France).
The event, organized by IBC Legal Conferences and acknowledged by the relevant industry, brought together more than 100 participants, coordinators of the legal departments in private companies, competition lawyers, economists, representatives of European competition and regulatory authorities, officials of business associations, advisors, representatives of the European Commission. Among the guests and speakers, there were notable experts in the field, such as Jan Svensson (Senior Legal Counsel, Volvo Group Trucks, Sweden), Dr Thomas Funke (Partner, Osborne Clarke, Germany), Ros Kellaway (Partner, Eversheds LLP, UK), Joseph Vogel (Partner, Vogel & Vogel, France), Anne Wegner (Partner, Luther, Germany).
The topic approached by Anca Buta Muşat focused on the conclusions and recommendations of the Romanian Competition Council as a result of a sector inquiry on the market for automotive spare parts, conducted by the latter and finalized in March 2013, a relevant topic both at domestic, and at European level. “The motor sector is one of the priorities for the European Commission. The event put up for debate the latest changes at the legislative level and the practical challenges posed by these changes”, said Anca Buta Muşat.
Anca Buta Muşat, head of the Competition /Anti-Trust practice of Muşat & Asociaţii, has extensive experience in dealing with the whole range of competition issues such as merger control and anti-competitive practices and conducts, having represented clients both before the European Commission and the Romanian Competition Council. Her track record includes advising on exclusivity arrangements, cartels, enforcement mechanisms employed by the competition authority, negotiations on remedies endorsing anti-trust approvals, compliance counselling (including trainings and dawn-raids simulations), as well as state aid-related issues and public services contracts. Over the years, she had an important role in structuring various types of agreements submitted for approval to the Competition Council and for securing individual exemptions.