SIIA Calls for Greater Uniformity in EU Competition Law

The Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) submitted comments to the European Commission's consultation on Regulation 1/2003, urging reforms to strengthen the consistency and effectiveness of EU competition law enforcement. We recommend discontinuing the current framework that allows Member States to apply stricter unilateral conduct rules, as this patchwork system creates uncertainty, increases compliance costs, and undermines the Single Market. Instead, we call for a harmonized EU-wide approach that reduces fragmentation, ensures a level playing field, and provides greater legal certainty for businesses.

In addition, we propose expanding settlement procedures to cover abuse of dominance cases, clarifying the scope of remedies under Article 7(1), and creating opportunities for companies to request that overlapping national investigations be transferred to the European Commission. Together, these steps would modernize competition policy, reduce complexity, and align enforcement with the EU's broader goals of competitiveness and innovation.