Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Commission sector inquiry highlights competition concerns in payment cards industry

As I mentioned before on this blog the Commission has now formally announced its interim results on the study of the cards market. See this Press Releases and discover how the Commission appears to seek a war on cards. Or, in EC-speak: we do a 'consultation' and will then make up our minds.....

Well, before engaging in this war, I sincerely hope that the Commission will also study the effects of regulatory intervention in Australia (see the posting here). Big chance that this messing with the fundamentals of business models leads to postponing investments and continued fragmentation rather than a speedy harmonisation across Europe.