HC Deb 05 May 2004 vol 420 cc1635-6W
Keith Vaz

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the likely effectiveness of the new competition system in Europe after enlargement. [168971]

Mr. Sutcliffe

The new EC Regulation on Competition was drafted with the specific objective of ensuring effective application of competition law across the EU after enlargement. The Commission is committed to reporting on the effectiveness of the new regulation five years after it comes into effect. Both the Commission and the European Competition Network will be monitoring the effectiveness of the new competition system on an on-going basis.

Keith Vaz

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how consistency in compliance with new competition rules in Europe will be ensured across the EU after enlargement. [168972]

Mr. Sutcliffe

The National Competition Authorities of all member states are represented on the new European Competition Network which is working to ensure that the new EC Regulation on Competition is applied consistently. The Commission always has the option of taking up any case in which it feels that the ECN are not operating appropriately.

Keith Vaz

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the new competition system in Europe is doing to protect small businesses in local communities from being forced to close as a result of competition from larger businesses. [168973]

Mr. Sutcliffe

There are prohibitions on anticompetitive agreements and the abuse of dominance in competition law at both the EC and UK level. Through these prohibitions, competition law provides remedies to protect all businesses, including small businesses in local communities, from anti-competitive trading practices.