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Is Europe getting tougher on companies that violate Antitrust law?

Olaf Lipman

Yes, Europe is becoming stricter with companies that break the antitrust laws. Antitrust laws are rules that are meant to promote fair competition between different companies. When a company breaks these rules by, for example, colluding with other companies to raise prices, or by using its dominant market position to unfairly prevent competition, it can hurt consumers by making products more expensive or limiting choices.

In Europe, if a company is found guilty of violating antitrust laws, it can face serious consequences. These can include fines, having to change its business practices, or even being forced to break up into smaller companies in order to promote competition.

Some recent examples of companies being punished for antitrust violations in Europe include tech giant Google, which was fined over 5 billion Euros in 2018 for unfairly promoting its own search engine over competitors in mobile devices and web browsers. Another example is the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, which was fined over 90 million Euros in 2018 for excessively charging for an epilepsy drug that is also used to treat anxiety disorders.

By enforcing antitrust laws, Europe is trying to make sure that all companies have a fair chance to succeed in the market, and that consumers can enjoy fair prices and choices. So yes, Europe is definitely getting tougher on companies that break antitrust laws, and this is a good thing for everyone.