Sustainability Agreements in Light of the European Commission's Horizontal Guidelines: The Path Towards Greening Competition Enforcement.

The adoption of the revised Horizontal Guidelines, containing a new chapter dedicated to sustainability agreements alone, marks an important step for the green transition, illustrating how stakeholders can collaborate by engaging in sustainability agreements. However, given the novelty of the Horizontal Guidelines, there has been no established interpretation of the relevant concepts and no guidance regarding the nature of enforcement of National Competition Authorities and whether a collaborative or coercive approach should be anticipated from National Competition Authorities and the Commission (together, the enforcers). Guidance on collaboration between enforcers and stakeholders is just as necessary as the guidance provided in the Horizontal Guidelines for competitors. Ultimately, this collaborative effort ensures that sustainability becomes an integral part of competition law compliance, fostering a harmonised approach to achieving economic competitiveness and environmental sustainability. By striking this balance and integrating sustainability considerations into business practices, collaboration becomes more feasible, thereby making competition and its enforcement greener. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]