The European Union’s system of multi-level governance in competition policy: Varieties of competition policy approaches? (by Moritz Wassum)

In my PhD thesis, I investigate and analyse the competition policies of the European Union (EU) and its member states. In the EU system of multi-level governance competition policies are enforced jointly by the European Commission and national competition authorities (NCAs). In the enforcement of competition policies NCAs can make use of both national competition laws and European-level provisions. Although European countries and the European Commission are commonly identified to have converged towards a ‘more economic’ approach there remain differences in the substantial content of the competition laws, judicial procedures, regulatory institutions and enforcement practices. Based on new institutionalist theory the thesis attempts to explain the variations in formal regulatory institutions and enforcement practices. In particular, I focus on the role of domestic institutional factors such as the legal tradition and type of capitalism of EU member states in shaping and affecting the design and enforcement of competition policies.

Researcher

Mr. Moritz Wassum – Moritz.Wassum@strath.ac.uk

University of Strathclyde