Brussels à Jour: Be My Fee-lentine

It's February and love is in the air, they say. However, not a lot of love was shown by the Court of Justice towards notaries in Lithuania and lawyers in Bulgaria when it ruled that their efforts to establish minimum fees was in breach of competition law. In the two judgments (C‑438/22 and C-128/21) the Court consolidates its practice regarding minimum fees established by various professional organizations. And we think it's not pure coincidence that both judgments were handed down within a week from each other. The cherry on the top… potentially far-reaching on NCAs' powers to directly rely on Article 23(2) of Regulation 1/2003 where they lack sufficient enforcement powers under their national laws. To our newsletter.