The European Commission launched a Call for Evidence and a public consultation on Thursday, inviting stakeholders to give feedback on the future of the EU procedures for the application of the bloc’s competition rules.

The European Commission wants to update how it enforces competition law. On Thursday, it asked businesses, watchdogs and the public for feedback. Responses will shape reforms to tackle digital markets and speed up probes. Submissions close on 2 October 2025.

A 2024 review found current rules—dating to 2003—largely work. But slow investigations and outdated tools hinder efforts to police tech giants and fast-moving sectors. The system also struggles with coordination between EU and national enforcers.

The Commission will focus on five areas: boosting its power to gather evidence, simplifying access to case files, streamlining complaints processes, improving cooperation with national agencies, and speeding up decisions.

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Need for updates

EU competition rules ban cartels and monopolistic abuses. Reforms in 2003 let national authorities enforce these rules directly. The current update—its first major rethink in two decades—aims to keep pace with economic shifts.

Technically speaking, the Commission published a Staff Working Document last September summarising the findings of the evaluation of Regulation 1/2003 and Regulation 773/2004. The evaluation showed that the regulations “have generally achieved their objective of effective, efficient and uniform application of EU competition rules, and that they continue to have EU added value and remain relevant.“

That said, the evaluation found room for improvement in the following areas:

Effectiveness

Digitalisation strains investigations. Inspections struggle with tech firms’ data complexity. Requests for information drag, hindered by weak penalties for non-compliance. Structural remedies and interim measures lack bite. The European Competition Network (ECN) reduced fragmentation, yet overlaps persist. Multiple agencies sometimes probe the same conduct, wasting resources. Rules on dividing cases need tightening.

Efficiency

While the system works, delays plague complex cases. Inspections drain resources; digital tools lag. Firms take months to respond to information requests. Interim measures—meant for urgent interventions—are bogged down by bureaucracy. Settlements, though efficient alternatives to fines, move slowly. File-sharing processes remain clunky.

Coherence

Rules align internally and with broader EU law. But gaps emerge against newer policies, like the 2019 ECN+ Directive, which strengthened national regulators’ powers. Inconsistent enforcement risks market fragmentation.

EU added value

The framework ensures single-market cohesion. Centralised rules prevent patchwork enforcement. Without them, harmonisation would crumble. The ECN’s role in unifying Brussels and national efforts remains pivotal.

Relevance

The system is still vital. Digital markets demand sharper tools, but core principles hold. Co-enforcement by EU and national watchdogs has grown more critical, not less.

The Call for Evidence, a 12-week consultation period began on Thursday, 10 July. The Commission will host workshops this autumn. Draft laws and an impact assessment are due by September 2026.