Anglais

Article published in the Canadian newspaper, National Post, on March 12, 2008. For the third time in a decade-long antitrust saga, the European Commission imposed a fine on Microsoft, this time to the tune of 899 million euros. The new fine confirms that the Commission is acting blindly by not measuring competition correctly in the market for these technologies.

Article published in the EU Reporter Magazine (nov. 2007-jan. 2008, p. 22). Although prescription, use and reimbursement of drugs policies can reduce some pharmaceutical spending by favouring systematically the use of cheaper medicines, this involves a bureaucratisation of drug use that presents risks for the health of the insured and a potential increase in other health care or patients' costs.

Paris, December 19, 2007 – While the Economic and Social Council has just qualified « social VAT » as “inflationary” in a draft opinion to be voted today, a new study from the Institut économique Molinari emphases that this new tax measure does not hold the key to the future financing of social protection in France. For the current government, the social VAT offers also the hope of improving France’s competitiveness by…

Brussels, Tuesday, December 4, 2007 – With the aim of controlling health care spending, public authorities increasingly are regulating the prescription, use and reimbursement of drugs. One of the latest examples is therapeutic substitution policies concerning drug therapies. The IEM invites you to watch a 10 minute conference presented by Valentin Petkantchin on this issue. According to a new study by the Institut économique Molinari, such policies have already been…

Brussels, September 14, 2007 – On 17th September the European Court of First Instance is expected to announce one of the most important decisions in anti-trust history. Whatever this decision may turn out to be in this case opposing the European Commission to Microsoft, it is very unlikely that it will fundamentally challenge the current regulation in this regard. “However, this regulation is not only useless if one wants to…

Paris, Thursday, June 7, 2007 – European anti-trust authorities, acting under the pretext of preserving competition, have been moving against certain “dominant” companies’ trade practices and price concessions – judging them “discriminatory.” These practices include reduced prices, rebates, discounts, reduction coupons and bonuses of various sorts. For example, Michelin was punished for offering its dealers a bonus system based on total turnover and on the quality of their equipment and…

A version of this article was published in the EU Voice on April 26, 2007. In these days of correspondence by email and wireless communication, most European governments still hold a statutory monopoly on a significant part of the postal service market. This monopoly which dates back several centuries in some countries is more and more thrown back into question.

A version of this article was published in the European Voice on April 12, 2007. Protectionism is in the headlines anew with the calls for the erection of trade barriers by some Democrats in the U.S. Congress and the support lent by Ségolène Royal and Nicolas Sarkozy – during the last presidential election in France – to an increased tariff barrier at the European level.

Paris, May 10, 2007 – Anti-trust bodies in different countries – like the DG Comp of the European Commission – impose fines or regularly penalise successful companies holding significant market shares in the name of an “abuse of dominant position.” One of the biggest recent anti-trust cases certainly is the EC’s saga against Microsoft dating back originally to 2004. Brussels has advanced, 3 years later, to a new stage in…

Article published in the National Post (Canada) on April 11, 2007. Sales of Vista, Microsoft's new operating system, appear to be exceeding forecasts. Meanwhile, Brussels is ramping up its test of strength with the software giant.