The Swiss Competition Commission has cleared Swissgrid, a joint venture of six large electricity grid operators, to manage a nationwide power network. However, the approval is subject to far-reaching conditions: Swissgrid is not allowed to commercially produce, sell or trade electricity or to hold shares of electricity companies. Moreover, its board members must not belong to bodies of other electricity companies and it has to grant free and nondiscriminatory third-party access to its grid facilities. Nadin Schwibs Lenz & Staehelin Zurich

On 9 June 2005, the Swiss Competition Appeals Commission annulled a judgement of the Competition Commission. The original judgement had abolished the ‘no discrimination rule’ clauses in agreements between credit card acquirers and merchants due to the collectively dominant position of the four major market players. The decision primarily deals with procedural issues but also comments on the definition of the relevant market.

In a recent antitrust case the Swiss Competition Commission rendered a decision with respect to the practices of Coca-Cola and Feldschlösschen in the Swiss soft drink market. Astrid Waser Lenz & Staehelin Zurich

In its decision of 1 December 2003, the Swiss Competition Commission opened an investigation against Flughafen Zurich AG (Unique) and issued interim measures in connection with valet parking services on Zurich airport.Barbara Bolliger-KellerLenz & StaehelinZurich

On 27 July 2004 the Swiss Competition Commission ('Comco') published new guidelines (the 'Guidelines') commenting in its notice of 21 October 2002 on vertical agreements in the motor vehicle sector (the 'Notice'). In the preamble to the Guidelines the Comco confirms its commitment to respect as far as possible the principles developed in the practice of the EC Commission. Daniel Hufschmid Lenz & Staehelin Zurich

Swiss Competition Commission looks at a potential abuse of a dominant position by a purchaser.

The Swiss Competition Commission has revised its merger notification system for banks. Future banking concentrations will be determined by the banks' gross income.Benoît Merkt and Olivier Nicod Lenz & Staehelin Geneva

PHILIPP ZURKINDEN, partner of Prager Dreifuss, reports on the recent changes to the Swiss Cartels Act, which give the Swiss authority the ability to impose fines and a specified legal basis to conduct dawn raids

The revised Competition Act entered into force on 1 April 2004. DANIEL HUFSCHMID of Lenz & Staehelin, Zurich, reports

The president of the Swiss Competition Commission, Roland von Bueren, dropped a bombshell on competition lawyers in Switzerland early September by resigning.

General Electric is to expand its financial operations by acquiring the structured finance unit of Swiss firm ABB

In a recent merger case the Swiss Competition Commission clarified its earlier case law with respect to provisional consummation and issued new guidelines on the assessment of collective dominance.Marcel Meinhardt and Astrid Waser Lenz & Staehelin Zurich