What is the European Union’s approach to antitrust law?

The European Union (EU) has a large body of laws regulating antitrust and competition. These laws seek to protect free and fair competition within the single market in the EU. The core principles of the laws are to ensure businesses compete against one another on their merits and not by anti-competitive practices. The EU antitrust laws are enforced by the European Commission (EC) who investigate and impose fines on companies that are found to have violated the antitrust rules. The EC often works together with national competition authorities to investigate and enforce the laws on a national level. The EU recognizes that certain agreements between companies can benefit the consumer by offering greater choice, lower prices, and better quality goods and services. However, such agreements must still comply with the EU’s antitrust laws by not distorting competition or creating a single dominant player in the market. The European Union also has a system of antitrust case law, which is growing rapidly, and the EC provides guidance on how to comply with the laws in the form of guidelines and notices. The EU is currently in the process of strengthening and updating its antitrust framework to make sure it is adapted to the digital age. Overall, the EU’s approach to antitrust law is to promote healthy competition and a level playing field in the single market. This helps protect small businesses and consumers by ensuring they are not taken advantage of or restricted by anti-competitive practices.

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What is the European Union’s approach to antitrust law?

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