European Competition Law Scrutiny of Purchasing Alliances

It seems undeniable that within the EU interest is growing in purchasing alliances and particularly in the grocery retail sector. However, care must be taken to avoid drifting into a buyer cartel. The decisional practice of the EC and NCAs shows a clear distinction between buyer cartels and legitimate joint purchasing agreements. On the one hand, buyer cartels are viewed as restriction of competition by object and are per se prohibited. As a result, when such infringements are assessed, hefty fi