The EC Commission's strategy for the modernization of the rules implementing Articles 81 and 82 EC Treaty has unfolded in three acts. The focus of the first act, the White Paper of 28 April, 1999, is on Article 81(3). The Commission proposes to abolish the Regulation 17 rules for the implementation of Article 81(3) and its own exclusive power to grant exemptions. In the future, Article 81 is to be interpreted as a directly applicable exception system to be applied by the Commission, national competition authorities, and national courts. A Council regulation will extend the direct applicability so far limited to Article 81(1) to Article 81(3). Consequently, there is no provision for separate exemption decisions and there are no “detailed rules” for the supervision of exempted agreements as called for by Article 83(2b).