Chapter II: Responsibilities.

The Competition Authority may be consulted by parliamentary committees on draft legislation and on any matter concerning competition. It gives its opinion on any competition issue at the request of the Government. It may also give its opinion on the same issues at the request of local and regional authorities, professional and trade union organisations, approved consumer organisations, chambers of agriculture, chambers of trade or local and regional chambers of…

The Authority must be consulted by the Government on any draft regulatory text instituting a new regime that has the direct effect of: 1° Subjecting the exercise of a profession or access to a market to quantitative restrictions; 2° Establishing exclusive rights in certain areas; 3° Imposing uniform practices with regard to prices or conditions of sale. .

At the request of the Government, the Competition Authority shall give its opinion on the regulated prices and tariffs referred to, respectively, in the second paragraph of article L. 410-2 and in l’article L. 444-1. This opinion is made public. The Competition Authority may also take the initiative of issuing an opinion on the regulated prices and tariffs mentioned in the first paragraph of this article. This opinion shall be…

The Authority may be consulted by the courts on anti-competitive practices defined in Articles L. 420-1 to L. 420-2-2 and L. 420-5 as well as Articles 101 and 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and identified in the cases referred to them. It can only give an opinion after an adversarial procedure. However, if it has information already gathered in the course of a previous…

The Competition Authority may issue an opinion on any matter concerning competition. This opinion is made public. It may also recommend to the Minister responsible for the economy or the Minister responsible for the sector concerned to implement the measures necessary to improve the competitive operation of markets.

The Competition Authority issues an opinion to the Minister of Justice, who is its guarantor, on the freedom of establishment of notaries and judicial commissioners. It makes recommendations to improve access to public or ministerial offices with a view to strengthening the territorial cohesion of services and gradually increasing the number of offices in France. It also draws up a report on access by women and men to public or…

The Competition Authority issues an opinion to the Minister of Justice, who is its guarantor, on the freedom of establishment of lawyers at the Council of State and the Court of Cassation. It makes recommendations to improve access to the offices of advocates at the Conseil d’Etat and the Cour de cassation, with a view to gradually increasing the number of these offices. It also draws up a report on…

I.-The Competition Authority may be seized by the Minister responsible for the economy of any practice referred to in Articles L. 420-1 to L. 420-2-2 and L. 420-5 or contrary to measures taken pursuant to l’article L. 410-3, or facts likely to constitute such a practice, as well as breaches of commitments made pursuant to Article L. 430-7-1 or made pursuant to merger decisions made before the entry into force…

The Autorité de la concurrence shall examine whether the practices referred to it fall within the scope of Articles L. 420-1 à L. 420-2-2 ou L. 420-5, are contrary to measures taken pursuant to Article L. 410-3 or may be justified by application of Article L. 420-4. Where appropriate, it issues sanctions and injunctions. When it considers that the facts are such as to justify the application of Article L….

I. – The Authority may not be seized of facts dating back more than five years if no act has been taken to investigate, establish or punish them. Acts interrupting the statute of limitations on public action brought pursuant to the first paragraph of Article L. 420-6 also interrupt the statute of limitations before the Competition Authority. Any act aimed at investigating, ascertaining or punishing anti-competitive practices by the Competition…