| European Commissioner for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition | |
|---|---|
 Flag of the EU | |
 | |
| Member of | theEuropean Commission |
| Reports to | President of the European Commission |
| Term length | 5 years |
| Formation | 7 January 1958; 68 years ago (1958-01-07) |
| First holder | Hans von der Groeben |
TheCommissioner for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition is the member of theEuropean Commission responsible forcompetition. The current commissioner isTeresa Ribera (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party).
The portfolio has responsibility for such matters ascommercial competition,company mergers,cartels,state aid, andantitrust law. The position became the sole merger authority for theEuropean Economic Area in September 1990.
The Competition Commissioner is one of the most powerful positions in the commission, and indeed the world, and is notable in affecting global regulatory practices in a phenomenon known as theBrussels effect.[1] For example, preventing the merger of two US companies,General Electric andHoneywell, in 2001.[2] In 2007, Neelie Kroes (then-Competition Commissioner) was the only Commissioner to makeForbes Magazine's List of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women; she held position 59.[3]
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Mario Monti is particularly notable for his ruling during theGE-Honeywell merger attempt in 2001.General Electric, a US company, sought to acquire another US company,Honeywell. This merger had been approved by US authorities, however Monti, with the backing of the rest of the commission, rejected the merger;[2]
The merger between GE and Honeywell, as it was notified, would have severely reduced competition in the aerospace industry and resulted ultimately in higher prices for customers, particularly airlines. However, there were ways of eliminating these concerns and allowing the merger to proceed. I regret that the companies were not able to agree on a solution that would have met the Commission's competition concerns.
Rather than be blocked from the European market, the merger was abandoned. This was the first time that a merger between two US companies had been blocked solely by European authorities,[4] only the second time it had blocked just two US companies and only the 15th merger it had blocked ever since it started work.[2] On 1 May 2004 Monti oversaw a radical change in the Competition powers of the Commission concerning antitrust regulation, merger controls, licensing agreements and air transport.[5]
DuringNeelie Kroes' hearing at theEuropean Parliament,MEPs expressed concern about whether Ms Kroes had a sufficiently detailed grasp of certain specific subjects. She was still approved as part of the Commission in 2004.[citation needed]
Since then, she stated that she promotes a fair and free business environment, achieving sustainable economic growth and higher employment. The commission has been involved in a number of high-profile cases fighting anticompetitive behaviour; such as the case against the merger ofSony –BMG, againstApple Inc. regardingiTunes[6] and the ongoingcase against Microsoft.
The latter has been an ongoing dispute on a number of issues. In April 2007, Microsoft became the first company to refuse to comply with the Commission's rulings. In response, Commissioner Kroes looked at harsher methods to gain the co-operation of companies.[7] In September 2007, theCourt of First Instance (the EU's second highest court) upheld the commission's decision to fine Microsoft 497 million euro and its order for to Microsoft for it to share its information, setting what the Commission described as an "important precedent".[8] In response to the ruling, theUnited States Department of Justice's top antitrust official, Thomas Barnett, criticised the ruling. Kroes, in turn, stated that
"It is totally unacceptable that a representative of the US administration criticises an independent court of law outside its jurisdiction ... It is absolutely not on. The European Commission does not pass judgement on rulings by US courts and we expect the same degree of respect from US authorities for rulings by EU courts."[9]
Kroes held a strong belief in free market principles. By the end of her term, she had completed most major cases.[10]
Joaquín Almunia, previously theFinance Commissioner, took on the competition portfolio under the secondBarroso Commission in 2010. He was expected to have a tenure similar to Kroes' stringent run.[10] As an experienced appointee, he was welcomed by competition lawyers.[10] He also impressed Parliament at his hearing. Early on in his term, he had to decide whether or not to pursue action against Google.[11] He also came out in favour of the idea of aEuropean Monetary Fund to deal with defaulting member states.[12]
Margrethe Vestager was part of both the Juncker and Von Der Leyen I college of Commissioners.[13]
Her two terms at the European Commission were marked by strong enforcement across the full spectrum of competition policy. Some of the most notable cases were against the abuse of dominance by large digital companies[14] and the Apple Tax case.[15] To date, she had not lost a single case concerning abuses of dominance before theEuropean Court of Justice.[16]
In 2023, Vestager drew criticism for selecting Professor Fiona Scott Morton of Yale University, former chief economist of theObama Administration, as Chief Competition Economist of DG COMP. Both her American nationality and consulting work for big tech came under fire by EU leaders, leading her to turn down the position.[17]
On 1 December 2024, Teresa Ribera was appointed First ExecutiveVice-President of the European Commission for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition and European Commissioner for Competition under thesecond Von der Leyen Commission.
| No. | Picture | Commissioner for Competition | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | European | Country | Commission | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Groeben, HansHans von der Groeben (1907–2005) | 7 January 1958 | 2 July 1967 | 9 years, 176 days | Independent | Independent | Germany, West West Germany | Hallstein I–II | |
| 2 | .jpg) | Sassen, MaanMaan Sassen (1911–1995) | 30 June 1967 | 30 June 1970 | 3 years, 0 days | KVP | Independent |  Netherlands | Rey | |
| 3 | .png) | Borschette, AlbertAlbert Borschette (1920–1976) | 1 July 1970 | 20 July 1976 | 6 years, 19 days | Independent | Independent |  Luxembourg | Malfatti Mansholt Ortoli | |
| 4 | .jpg) | Vouel, RaymondRaymond Vouel (1923–1987) | 21 July 1976 | 6 January 1981 | 4 years, 170 days | LSAP | PES | Luxembourg | Ortoli Jenkins | |
| 5 | .jpg) | Andriessen, FransFrans Andriessen (1929–2019) | 6 January 1981 | 5 January 1985 | 3 years, 365 days | KVP | EPP | Netherlands | Thorn | |
| 6 | .jpg) | Sutherland, PeterPeter Sutherland (1946–2018) | 7 January 1985 | 5 January 1989 | 4 years, 0 days | Fine Gael | EPP |  Ireland | Delors I | |
| 7 | _02.jpg) | Brittan, LeonLeon Brittan (1939–2015) | 6 January 1989 | 5 January 1993 | 3 years, 365 days | Conservative | ED |  United Kingdom | Delors II | |
| 8 | %2c_Bestanddeelnr_933-5684_(cropped).jpg) | Miert, KarelKarel Van Miert (1942–2009) | 6 January 1993 | 13 September 1999 | 6 years, 250 days | sp.a | PES |  Belgium | Delors III Santer | |
| 9 | .jpg) | Monti, MarioMario Monti (born 1943) | 15 September 1999 | 30 October 2004 | 5 years, 45 days | Independent | Independent |  Italy | Prodi | |
| 10 | .jpg) | Kroes, NeelieNeelie Kroes (born 1941) | 22 November 2004 | 9 February 2010 | 5 years, 79 days | VVD | ELDR | Netherlands | Barroso I | |
| 11 |  | Almunia, JoaquínJoaquín Almunia (born 1948) | 9 February 2010 | 1 November 2014 | 4 years, 265 days | PSOE | PES |  Spain | Barroso II | |
| 12 |  | Vestager, MargretheMargrethe Vestager (born 1968) | 1 November 2014 | 30 November 2024 | 10 years, 29 days | Social Liberals | ALDE |  Denmark | Juncker Von der Leyen I | |
| 12 | .jpg) | Ribera, TeresaTeresa Ribera (born 1969) | 30 November 2024 | Incumbent | 1 year, 77 days | PSOE | PES | Spain | Von der Leyen II | |
