Vinci Construction e.a. v France: Limits on Unannounced Inspections on the Basis of the Rights to a Fair Trial and to the Respect for Privacy

Abstract

The European Court of Human Rights (the ‘ECtHR’) has upheld applications by construction companies Vinci Construction France (‘Vinci’) and GTM genie civil et services (‘GTM’) that certain aspects of the dawn raids carried out by the French competition authority (the ‘DGCCRF’) violated the companies' rights under Article 6(1) (right to a fair trial) and Article 8 (private and family life, home and correspondence) of the European Convention of Human Rights (‘ECHR’).