O’Connor and Company maintains a very active EC network industries practice. The firm provides regulatory reports and advice on an ongoing basis, representing clients, both in regulatory and competition matters, before the relevant EC and national authorities and courts.

Its telecommunications practice has provided vital assistance to private companies and governmental agencies in three broad areas: general advice and representation on the constantly evolving EC  electronic communications framework, specific advice on implementation problems in individual Member States and advice and representation on merger/joint venture regulatory approvals.

Our lawyers have advised on the meaning and implications of several successive waves of EC telecommunications liberalisation legislation coming out of Brussels since 1988. We have also counselled clients on proposed legislation in newly emerging neighbouring sectors such as data protection/privacy and internet/e-commerce.
 
We have also been very active in dealing with the concrete regulatory and competition problems faced by new entrants in individual national markets. 

Our lawyers have represented a small Italian new market entrant before the Italian Courts and the Italian Antitrust Authority in the first successful challenge to the market dominance of Telecom Italia. They have repeated this performance in Greece and in Spain.
 
On the equipment side, our lawyers have advised on EC state aid issues relevant to national subsidy offers for siting a greenfield manufacturing plant and have represented telecom players on regulatory clearance filings for numerous merger and joint venture deals in the telecommunications sector.

In the postal sector, the firm advises and represents clients on EC regulatory and policy matters, including EC competition and internal market rules.
 
It represents a major post office and advises it on issues associated with the establishment and expansion of its business in the context of increased liberalisation. It represents its interests before the European Commission, the European Parliament and sector associations, as well as in litigation before the European courts. Our lawyers have been extensively involved in a broad range of postal issues such as terminal dues and other inter-operator relations, compensation of universal service obligations, public procurement and fiscal rules. 
 
In the energy sector, O’Connor and Company has represented the largest Italian electricity generator and distributor, dealing with liberalisation and other regulatory issues, competition law and state aid, mergers and acquisitions, notification of joint-venture agreements and revision of gas supply contracts. The expertise that the firm’s lawyers have acquired in network industries has been invaluable in providing added value to clients confronting the major issues of liberalisation of such sectors.

Our lawyers have also advised on regulatory and competition/State aid matters related to ports, maritime, road and intermodal transport, providing a sound legal analysis of the developments of EC transport policy. The firm assists national administrations in drafting State aid scheme projects, particularly those aiming at promoting the use of sustainable transport modes.

The expertise that the firm's lawyers have acquired in network industries has been invaluable in providing added value to clients confronting the major issues of liberalisation of such sectors.

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