Subjects:

EU Law, Competition Law

Contents:

1. Competition law - policy perspectives

2. The core values of EC competition law in flux

3. Economics and competition law

4. Competition law and public policy

5. Market power

6. Abuse of a dominant position: anticompetitive exclusion

7. Abuse of a dominant position: from competition policy to sector-specific regulation

8. Merger policy

9. Oligopoly markets

10. Distribution agreements

11. Institutions: who enforces competition law?

12: Competition law and liberalisation

13. Conclusions.

The development of competition law in the EU can be explored through three interrelated perspectives: the extent to which controversies in economic thinking affect the design of the law; how changing political visions about the objectives of competition law have caused shifts in the interpretation of the rules; and the institution in charge of applying the rules. The economic and political debates on competition law show that it is a contested terrain, and the way courts and competition authorities apply the law reflects their responses to the objectives and economics of competition law. By characterising the application of competition law as a continuous response to policy and economic debates, the author casts fresh perspectives on the subject. Written with competition law students in mind, Monti sets out economic concepts in a non-technical manner and explores the policy dimension of competition law by referring to key cases and contemporary policy initiatives.

• Non-technical reviews of the relevant economic literature allow all readers to participate fully in the discussion of competition law
  
• Detailed case studies illustrate the operation of rules in specific circumstances, as well as their general application for a fuller understanding
  
• The introduction of new topics for study gives the student the broadest possible perspective on the subject