This course presents EU competition law in political, economic and comparative context. It combines analyses from key EU rulings with discussions of enforcement policy issues and comparisons with US antitrust cases. 

Over 30h, the course will explore the tools used by competition authorities in Europe: to punish cartels that fix prices or divide markets; to assess cooperative agreements between rival firms and supplier–customer relationships; to establish a dominant position and find abuses; and to review the competitive effects of mergers and acquisitions. The course will also explain how authorities determine when business restraints infringe on the principles governing the EU internal market, and when Member States contravene the rules protecting the European competition system.

Hence, the course aims to provide a rounded account of the various dimensions of EU competition law, of its place at the heart of the EU market integration project and of its relevance for the enforcement of antitrust principles worldwide.

Key features:

• reviews all important competition decisions and judgments of the European Commission and the EU Courts

• explains the critical nuances of cases by means of contextual explanations

• integrates law, economics and other policies, providing a holistic sense of competition law and its place in the European system  

• compares EU competition law with US antitrust law, analysing the root of their differences and enabling students to derive comparative insights