It is the provocative thesis of this book that the Commission’s struggle for a more ‘effective’ system of private enforcement has gone from being a mere enhancement of a single EU policy (competition) to slowly but surely fuelling a paradigm shift in EU law.

Despite the growing importance of 'consumer welfare' in EU competition law debates, there remains a significant disconnect between rhetoric and reality, as consumers and their interests still play only an ancillary role in this area of law. Consumer Involvement in Private EU Competition Law Enforcement is the first monograph to exclusively address this highly topical and much debated subject, providing a timely and wide-ranging examination of the need for more active consumer participation in competition law. Written by an expert in the field, it sets out a comprehensive framework of policy implications and arguments for greater involvement, positioning the debate in the context of a broader EU law perspective. It outlines pragmatic approaches to remedial and procedural measures that would enable consumer empowerment. Finally, the book identifies key institutional and political obstacles to the adoption of effective measures, and suggests alternative routes to enhance the role of consumers in private competition law enforcement. The book's innovative approach, combining normative analysis and practical solutions, make it invaluable for academics, policy-makers, and practitioners in the field.

The essential guide to EU competition law for students in one volume; extracts from key cases, academic works, and legislation are paired with incisive critique and commentary from two leading experts in the field. In this fast-paced subject area, Alison Jones and Brenda Sufrin carefully highlight the most important cases, legislation, and developments to allow students to navigate the breadth of legislation and case law. With their clear explanations and commentary, the authors provide invaluable support to students as they approach this complex and highly technical area of law. Extracts provide opportunities for students to understand the law in practice, and to see its relevance to business. Indispensable for undergraduate and postgraduate students alike, this is the standalone guide to the competition law of the EU. The text is accompanied by an Online Resource Centre containing: -An additional chapter on State Aid -An interactive map and timeline of the EU -Web links -Updates in the law

This volume contains papers presented at the 16th Annual EU Competition Law and Policy Workshop, held at the European University Institute on 17-18 June 2011. This edition of the Workshop examined the emerging and increasingly important use of private rights of action before national courts, and the prospects for legislation and soft law initiatives at the level of the EU. The book has been updated and reflects the European Commission's private enforcement package of June 2013. Furthermore, the experiences of various national jurisdictions are discussed, both within Europe and in the US and Canada. As a whole, the volume explores how public and private enforcement might function harmoniously, as an 'integrated' system, to promote the public interest while ensuring that individual rights created in this field by the EU competition rules are vindicated. The contributors have, however, devoted significant analysis to the tensions between those two modes of enforcement. Authors contributing to this book include: Enno Ahlenstiel Donald Baker Jochen Burrichter Horst Butz Scott Campbell Brian Facey Tristan Feunteun Ian Forrester Andrew Foster Andrew Gavil Barry Hawk James Keyte Assimakis Komninos Bruno Lasserre Frédéric Louis Mel Marquis Veljko Milutinovic Luis Silva Morais Tom Ottervanger Silvia Pietrini Mark Powell John Ratliff J Thomas Rosch David Rosner Mario Siragusa James Venit

‘Passing-on’ occurs when harm or loss incurred by a business is passed on to burden that business’s customers or the next level of the supply chain. In this thoroughly revised and updated second edition, the authors provide the only available comprehensive examination of passing-on in damages and restitution under EU law. The analysis covers a broad range of contexts including competition damages and the repayment of charges.

Elucidates the concept of causation in competition law damages and outlines its practical implications through relevant case law.

Leniency has emerged as one of the main enforcement instruments used by competition authorities to combat cartels. Offering immunity from punishment is believed to destabilise already existing cartels and deter undertakings from entering into such arrangements. This book offers the first in-depth analysis of the scope of leniency in European Union (EU) competition law, considering three crucial ramifications – ensuring a leniency applicant can self-report with confidence, retaining the right to compensation of those who have suffered losses due to the cartel and furthering the objective of undistorted competition within the internal market. With thorough insight into the interaction between the Commission’s Leniency Notice and public and private enforcement, the author fully explains such aspects of the subject as the following: who is eligible for leniency; liability of an immunity recipient; the EU fining system; disclosure of leniency evidence; scope of public authorities reaching out to cartel infringers; the immunity recipient and follow-on damages claimants; the immunity recipient and subsequent leniency applicants; effect of the Damages Directive; and the European Economic Area dimension. The author offers cogent suggestions about how the shortcomings of the Commission’s leniency offer can be ameliorated and which regulatory steps should be taken to give the policy greater leverage. The author calls for increased harmonisation at national level in the EU and compares leniency practice in US antitrust law. As a comprehensive analysis of the practical application of current policy and procedure in EU cartel enforcement, the book clearly shows the ways in which the scope of leniency is manifest in the interaction between public and private enforcement, evaluating which interaction is most effective. Its practical character will be recognised and welcomed by competition law practitioners and policymakers, who will strengthen their grasp of leniency procedure and clearly discern implications for competition infringement cases.

Exploring obstacles to effective compensation of victims of competition infringements, this book categorises the types of victims harmed and the types of losses arisen from these infringements to identify to what extent there is a need for enhanced private competition law enforcement in the European Union (EU) and the best way to address this need. It shows that there is a genuine need for facilitating consumer damages actions and that consumer claims are the only claims that can be pursued in a collective redress action. In order to compensate consumers and overcome barriers to effective enforcement of their right to damages, it structures a collective redress action for consumers by considering the following elements: i. the formation of the group, ii. the type of representative party iii. funding mechanisms and iv. calculation and distribution of damages.

During the past decade, private enforcement of competition law has slowly taken off in Europe. However, major differences still exist among Member States. By harmonizing a number of procedural rules, the Damages Directive aimed to establish a level playing field among EU Member States. This timely book represents the first assessment of the implementation of the Damages Directive. Offering a comparative perspective, key chapters provide an up-to-date account of the emerging trends in private enforcement of competition law in Europe.

This insightful book proposes taking inspiration from EU competition law structures to inform and implement a more economic approach in WTO law. The book provides a detailed account of the two legal systems regarding likeness, harm, and remedies, in order to draw comparisons. Taking a unique approach in synthesizing law and economics with comparative law methods, it considers WTO law holistically to propose a legal transplant from EU competition law to WTO law.