When applying competition law, competition authorities must comply with the undertakings’ ‘fundamental’ rights and guarantees. The right of defence is commonly understood as a right that unfolds in several dimensions, being the basis of other as important rights such as the right to be heard or the right to access the file. In case C‑607/18 P NKT Verwaltung and NKT v Commission, the Court has delivered a fruitful judgment for the debate about fairness in Competition Law procedures.
Keywords: procedural rights; right of defence; access to the file; right to be heard; statement of objections.