Prudential regulation applied to banks is caught swinging back and forth between two objectives.

The 12th General Assembly of the Association of Mediterranean Regulators for Electricity and Gas (MEDREG) was held at the headquarters of the Greek Regulatory Authority of Energy (RAE), on 14 December 2011. On this occasion, members of MEDREG have approved the initial proposals made by the Task Force devoted to investments in energy infrastructure, aiming to stimulate investment in the Mediterranean region. The MEDRED also exercises regulatory powers similar to those of ACER.

The European Commission’s initiatives towards a Single Market in energy, transport and electronic communications should aim to further regulatory transparency and not market homogenisation. The article provides a quantitative and qualitative assessment of indiscriminating homogenisation of the mobile telecommunications market. The potential impacts on market power and the loss of consumer welfare are by no means negligible and imply important policy considerations

“Global Financial Integration, Thirty Years on. From reform to crisis” combines many academic contributions on international financial governance, that each offer original and in-depth analysis of the financial crisis’ causes. To safeguard the authors’ legal and economic reasoning, the bibliographical report has been divided in three parts and will be brought to The Journal of Regulation’s readers in three successive issues . The following report analyses the third part of the volume.

The FCC’s 2010 “open Internet” (net neutrality) order went into effect on November 20, 2011. Verizon Communications and Metro PCS have challenged the FCC Order in court, alleging that the FCC lacked statutory power to impose net neutrality rules in connection with Internet access services.

Traditionally regulated sectors, such as energy and telecommunications, have a very strong local roots, which made ​​them at first dominated by the States even if they were developed by companies, because of the link between the State and territory. Furthermore, the market, which is a space defined by the activities and not necessarily by a territory, was superimposed on the overall economic. When observing the phenomena taking place in new territories, for example the euro area, but more what looks like spaces without territoriality, such as the Internet, or finance, geography seems to disappear. The dynamism of operators led by its own strength to the formation of new geographies which owe nothing to the kind or normative power of the States, as in energy infrastructure. However, to date, there have been in a regulatory report with respect to geography or based on geography. Could we diagnose the disappearance of geography or processing thereof such that the regulations themselves must be radically transformed? It is this question which is the subject of this symposium.

The Autorità per le garanzie nelle comunicazioni (or “AgCom” – the Italian Regulatory Authority for electronic communications) issued a decision on January 11, 2012, setting regulatory remedies applicable to the Italian incumbent’s fixed next generation networks (NGN). Italian next generation networks’ regulation complies with pro-competitive and pro-investment objectives provided for by EU sectoral law.

On February 1st, 2012, the European Commission rejected proposed merger between the NYSE-Euronext and Deutsche Boerse. The Commission did it, considering that, on the relevant market of financial derivatives, the concentration would give the new firm almost monopoly and that the proposed remedies, notably the access for competitors to the clearing house, are Insufficient.

“Global Financial Integration, Thirty Years on. From reform to crisis” combines many academic contributions on international financial governance, that each offer original and in-depth analysis of the financial crisis’ causes. To safeguard the authors’ legal and economic reasoning, the bibliographical report has been divided in three parts and will be brought to The Journal of Regulation’s readers in three successive issues . The following report analyses the second part of the volume.

On November 28th, 2011, the "Conseil d’Etat" (French Council of State) ruled that the ban on GMOs established by several ministerial decrees in December 2007 and February 2008 is not valid. The main reason for this decision is the lack of sufficient proof given by the French government that GMOs represent a high threat for public health or the environment. Yet, the French Ministers of Agriculture and Environment declared on January 13th, 2012, that the same prohibition will be adopted.