Through its advisory role, it anticipates market changes, proposes reforms and helps to guide public policy. From retail and new technologies to mobility and energy, the Autorité influences debates and shapes the dynamics of competition to benefit consumers and the French economy.
Expertise in support of reform
The advisory role of the Autorité has grown steadily, becoming a cornerstone of competitive market regulation in France. Thanks to its proactive approach, the Autorité informs public authorities’ decision-making and supports economic stakeholders in implementing reforms that benefit the economy and consumers.
The Autorité can decide for itself where to deploy its advisory powers and analyses high-stake issues, identifying malfunctions and concrete solutions. Its work has led to numerous reforms, including the liberalisation of coach transport, the reduction in the price of hearing aids and the opening up of car parts to competition.
Advising policymakers
The Autorité also plays a central role in evaluating the competitive impact of proposed reforms. Frequently called on by the French government and parliament, it issues opinions on legislative and regulatory texts, identifies risks of distortion of competition, and puts forward solutions to boost markets. It analyses the potential consequences of reforms on market structure, companies’ competitiveness and consumer purchasing power.
In 2024 and 2025, several of its opinions concerned regulation. In particular, the Autorité issued opinions on the wine sector (Opinion 24-A-01 of 12 March 2024), passenger rail transport (Opinion 24-A-04 of 20 June 2024), electricity (Opinion 25-A-02 of 10 January 2025), private-hire vehicle (PHV) services (Opinion 25-A-03 of 21 January 2025), and local and regional public authority property insurance (Opinion 25-A-04 of 23 January 2025). Its recommendations all shared the same objective: to avoid the risk of harm to competition and ensure a better balance between market players.
The Autorité examines innovative issues linked to digital transformation, such as online advertising, FinTechs, the cloud and artificial intelligence.
Informing economic stakeholders
Through its opinions and sectorspecific inquiries, the Autorité plays an educational role, helping companies to better understand the requirements of competition law. By providing a clear framework for analysis, it encourages voluntary compliance and limits the risk of antitrust proceedings. Its approach favours more effective, preventive regulation that is adapted to economic realities.
Furthermore, its opinions are often an opportunity to send strong signals to companies about behaviours to be avoided. In its opinion on charging stations for electric vehicles, for example, the competitive risks identified are intended to alert players to watch points. Similarly, in its opinion on consumer product and services rating systems, the Autorité provided guidance to enable players to more effectively assess rating systems in light of competition rules, notably as regards the conditions for designing and implementing these systems (Opinion 25-A-01 of 9 January 2025).
Although not the objective, some sectorspecific inquiries can lead to antitrust proceedings if anticompetitive practices are suspected.
Taking the initiative to target strategic sectors and anticipate future challenges
Sector-specific inquiries can be an opportunity to identify sources of growth, support market developments and propose regulatory improvements in line with economic change. In 2024, the Autorité paid particular attention to the fast-developing sector of charging stations for electric vehicles. In its view, it is vital to ensure that healthy competition – which is essential for the proper development of the market – is established. The Autorité analysed the growth in light electric vehicles and their adoption by French people, before issuing recommendations for the French government, sector-specific regulators and industry players, to lay the foundations for a competitive market and support consumers in their new consumption habits (Opinion 24-A-03 of 30 May 2024).
In the same vein, the Autorité examines innovative issues linked to digital transformation, such as online advertising, FinTechs, the cloud and artificial intelligence. Leveraging its expertise, it anticipates technological challenges and establishes an analytical framework to facilitate the regulation of these emerging markets. Its investigation into online advertising has strengthened its ability to investigate several antitrust cases concerning Google, including Google Ads and related rights. Similarly, its sector-specific inquiry into a!tificial intelligence – conducted in record time in 2024 – has deepened its understanding of the sector’s technologies and behaviours. This expertise will be invaluable for effectively investigating future antitrust cases and ensuring fair competition in these strategic areas (Opinion 24-A-05 of 28 June 2024).
