Public Interest and EU Competition Law. (June 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dunne, Niamh
• Other Names: Stewart-Teitelbaum Justin guest-editor.; Calvani Terry guest-editor.; Noethlich Kaylynn guest-editor.
• Is Part Of: Antitrust bulletin. Volume 65:Number 2(2020)
• Page Start: 256
• Page End: 281
• Publication Date: 2020-06
• Subjects: EU competition law -- antitrust -- public interest -- anticompetitive agreements -- abuse of dominance -- State action -- public utilities -- pharmaceutical sector -- digital economy; Antitrust law -- United States -- Periodicals; Restraint of trade -- United States -- Periodicals; 343.73072105
• DOI: 10.1177/0003603X20912883
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0003-603X

Abstract

While European Union (EU) competition law has long been understood as a variety of public interest law, the extent to which the rules can be applied directly to advance noneconomic public interest-oriented goals is more contentious. This contribution considers whether and how such concerns can be accommodated within the framework of Articles 101 and 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). It considers both the conventional approach to addressing public interest concerns within the analytical structure of the antitrust rules and also how broader public interest objectives have shaped recent EU-level enforcement efforts in three key sectors: the liberalizing public utilities markets, the pharmaceutical sector, and the digital economy.