The Netherlands - Neelie Kroes (ELDR)
In more recent times, the incumbent Competition Commissioner received praise from observers (and attacks from lobby groups) for the fines slapped on various cartels and for interventions into monopolistic mergers, in particular for decisions affecting big American companies. On the other hand, for her ealier activities, I saw her as a true ideological heir of Bolkestein, believing in marketising everything and fighting state intervention into the economy in the name of fighting protectionism, whatever policy it truly serves.
On the Kroes re-appointment, also see Oui's Kroes Nomination Not A Surprise. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
Dutch papers say that Ms Kroes is in line to get information and communications technology and be a commission vice-president.
I don't recall her views on network neutrality and intellectual property rights; anyone? *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
Commissioner Kroes welcomes SMEs ideas on ICT standards
The European Commissioner for Competition Policy warned her audience on the dangers of "patent ambush", "when a company taking part in the standard-setting process hides the fact that it holds essential IPRs over the standard being developed, and starts asserting such IPRs only after the standard has been agreed and other companies are "locked in" to using it". Mrs. Kroes then took a strong stance in favour of ex ante disclosure of maximum royalty rates of IPRs in standards: "I see no inherent reason why such a mechanism would fall foul of the competition rules, unless it is some kind of smokescreen for a cartel."
Neelie Kroes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kroes is a confidant of Ayaan Hirsi Ali and persuaded her to switch allegiance from the social democratic PvdA to the VVD.
SAN FRANCISCO -- U.S. senators are pressuring European antitrust regulators to hurry their investigation of Oracle Corp.'s proposed acquisition of Sun Microsystems Inc., citing Sun's "precarious" financial condition and fears about more layoffs at the struggling computing company.
