The aim of the course is to provide students with a comprehensive and functional knowledge of EU competition law: - sources; ù - main topics (anticompetitive agreements, abuses of dominant position, concentrations); - issues and current debate related to its enforcement. After attending the course, students will be: - aware about how certain business practices (contracts, setting of distribution chains, prices or market policies, mergers and acquisitions, etc.), under certain conditions, may breach the competition law; - aware of the risks that, recurring one of those cases, the firms involved must face, both with public authorities and private subjects (other firms, consumers, etc.).
Course Prerequisites
General knowledge about the European Union and its institutions (Commission, Parliament, Council, Court of Justice).
Teaching Methods
Lectures: each lecture will discuss specific legal and policy issues in the enforcement of EU competition law, examining the relevant legal provisions, case-law and/or Commission’s decisions.
Assessment Methods
Oral examination
Texts
R. Whish and D. Bailey, Competition Law, 11th edition, Oxford University Press, 2024..
Contents
EU Competition law: - The legal framework (origin, sources, objectives and material scope of application); - Market definition and market power; - Horizontal and vertical agreements (Art. 101 TFEU and Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/720); - Abuse of dominance (Art. 102 TFEU); - Concentrations (Reg. 139/2004); - Public and private enforcement
