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ARTICLE · 06 OCTOBER 2015

EU Dawn Raids: The Updated Inspection Explanatory Note Sends A Clear Message

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On 11 September 2015, the European Commission released an updated version of its Explanatory Note on Inspections pursuant to Article 20(4) of Council Regulation N° 1/2003.

European UnionAntitrust/Competition Law
Kiran Desai
Kiran Desai
Nathalie Jalabert-Doury
Nathalie Jalabert-Doury
Julian Ellison
Julian Ellison
Robert Klotz
Robert Klotz
Jens Peter Schmidt
Jens Peter Schmidt
David Harrison
David Harrison
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Keywords: European Commission, Explanatory Note on Inspections, antitrust

On 11 September 2015, the European Commission ("Commission") released an updated version of its Explanatory Note on Inspections pursuant to Article 20(4) of Council Regulation N° 1/2003 ( the "Explanatory Note").

The Explanatory Note is handed over to businesses that are subject to an antitrust inspection by the Commission at the beginning of such an inspection. It addresses in detail a number of practical matters concerning the Commission's approach to inspections - including the obligation of the company to cooperate, the right to take legal advice and the searches the Commission can undertake (especially using IT). For some years now, the Commission has also published a previous version of the Explanatory Note on its website for general information purposes.

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