On June 11, 2013, the European Commission (E.C.) took another big step in its ongoing effort to make it easier for victims of antitrust violations in the European Union to seek damages for their injuries. It proposed legislation intended to remove obstacles and legal uncertainty in actions for damages under competition laws adjudicated in the national courts in E.U. member states. See Commission Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on Certain Rules Governing Actions for Damages Under National Law for Infringement of the Competition Law Provisions of the Member States and of the European Union.
One reason for the directive was the following statistic: During the past seven years, victims of antitrust violations in the European Union sought compensation in private actions in only 25 percent of the cases in which the E.C. found infringements of competition laws. The directive is intended to improve that number, as well as to harmonize the national rules in E.U. member states affecting the ability of a victim to obtain compensation, as the E.C. found that such rules diverged widely from member state to member state.
