Benoît Coeuré, President of the Autorité de la concurrence, presents the 2024 annual report and the roadmap and priorities for 2025-2026

On Thursday, 10 July, the Autorité de la concurrence presented its annual report to the press. Benoît Coeuré, President of the Autorité, looked back at the major cases of 2024 and set out the priorities for action for the months ahead.

2024, a historic year for the Autorité

In 2024, the Autorité de la concurrence issued 314 opinions and decisions and imposed €1.4 billion in fines. In merger control, the Autorité once again examined a record number of transactions (295), representing a 10% increase on the previous record set in 2021. This high level of activity reflected, in particular, the transformation of the food retail sector, as illustrated by the decisions on the sale of Casino stores.

In enforcement and its advisory role, the Autorité was active in many sectors of the economy – with a particular focus on the digital, retail and consumer goods sectors. For example, it fined Google for non-compliance with its commitments on press-related rights, as well as several anticompetitive agreements in the pre-cast concrete products sector, the low-voltage electrical equipment sector, the household appliances sector and the air passenger transport sector in the French overseas territories.

In 2024, the Autorité fully exercised its advisory role, issuing eight opinions, including two major sector-specific inquiries: one on charging infrastructure for electric vehicles and the other on generative artificial intelligence (AI).

Continuing its commitment to sustainability, the Autorité issued its first ever notice on the provision of informal guidance to companies wanting to verify the compatibility of their sustainability projects with competition rules. To date, the Autorité has issued two informal guidance letters.

Maintaining momentum and going further

In a context marked by budgetary constraints and a reduction in the resources allocated by the French parliament, the Autorité faces a number of challenges: the growth of digital markets and artificial intelligence (AI), the imperative of sustainability, and the preservation of purchasing power in mainland France and the French overseas territories. Its work in the 2025-2026 period will be steered by broad guidelines reflecting those challenges.

For a detailed presentation of the priorities for the period ahead and the actions planned, please see the roadmap.