Does the EU regulate/prosecute local monopolies. or only American ones?

3 comments

1. https://ec.europa.eu/competition/antitrust/cases/

   American cases get reported in English-language news, especially American ones.

   European companies more rarely get to the point where they have to face anti-trust cases because they are more heavily regulated from the get-go.

2. Yes, but you tend to only hear about fines on businesses that are either American or tech giants (which are in turn either American or Spotify).

   I found this cool graph. 18 biggest fines from the EU.

   http://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/editorcharts/EU-GOOGLE-ANTITRUST/0H0012Y9L1DV/index.html

   Here’s by country of foundation.

   7 at American companies:

   Google (twice),
   Microsoft (three times!),
   Intel,
   Qualcomm,

   9 at EU companies:

   Daimler (German),
   Scania (Swedish),
   DAF (Dutch),
   Saint Gobain (French),
   Philips (Dutch),
   Volvo/Renault (Swedish/French),
   Iveco (Italian),
   Deutsche Bank (German),
   Servier (French)

   Extra EU and not American:

   1 Swiss (Hoffmann),

   1 South Korean (LG Electronics),

   As you can see, they’re spread out pretty evenly, especially if you count that only 4 American companies were affected by the 7 fines

3. Why would you expect to hear about the EU fining a European firm?

   Like, if the fine google that’s big news.

   If the fine some German chemical company you’ve never heard you’re probably not going to hear from it.