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Another five years for liner consortia

[ June 26, 2014   //   ]

The European Commission has extended the block exemption for liner shipping consortia by a further five years, until April 2020. It follows a public consultation, from which Brussels concluded that the exemption has worked well, providing legal certainty and bringing benefits to customers and without unduly distorting competition.

The Maritime Consortia Block Exemption Regulation allows shipping lines with a combined market share of below 30% to enter into cooperation agreements to provide joint services.

The first consortia block exemption regulation was adopted in 1995 and has been prolonged several times.

However, the Commission said it would continue to closely monitor market developments and the conduct of companies to ensure that markets remain open and competitive,particularly in the context of recent developments in the sector, and might intervene if necessary.

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