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Competition and state aid

Well functioning competition rules play a crucial role on the internal market, both in terms of limiting distortions and ensuring more efficiency and innovation by allowing competitors to enter new markets and protecting consumer choice. EU competition policy should ensure that effective competition between companies exists thereby contributing to job creation, growth and investment. It should also address the global challenges which businesses face in order to boost their and the EU’s overall competitiveness. As such, it is one of the key components of a successful EU industrial policy.

Competition rules cover agreements between companies, abuse of dominance, mergers and state aid.

Publications

Position papers Date
European Commission consultation on a draft revised market definition notice - a BusinessEurope position paper 13/01/2023
Draft revised horizontal block exemption regulations (HBER) and draft guidelines on horizontal cooperation agreements - BusinessEurope reply to the European Commission consultation 05/05/2022
Draft vertical block exemption regulation (VBER) and draft guidelines on vertical restraints - BusinessEurope reply to the European Commission consultation 17/09/2021
How competition policy can contribute to the Green Deal - BusinessEurope contribution to the European Commission consultation 27/11/2020
European Commission Notice on the definition of relevant market for the purposes of Community competition law - a BusinessEurope position paper 08/10/2020
Proposal for a new competition tool - a BusinessEurope position paper 08/09/2020
Evaluation of the vertical block exemption regulation and guidelines on vertical restraints 29/01/2020
Legal affairs strategy for the next political cycle 01/10/2019
Improving EU competition and state aid policy - a BusinessEurope position paper 04/09/2019
Effective enforcement of EU competition rules by national competition authorities (ECN+) - BusinessEurope position paper on the Commission proposal for a directive 30/10/2017
Recommendations for improving EU merger control 03/02/2017
Press releases Date
EU competition policies need to acknowledge global challenges 18/11/2021
EU legal and competition policies should acknowledge global challenges 08/10/2019
Public letters Date
Competition policy - Letter from Markus J. Beyrer to Margrethe Verstager 25/09/2019
European Competition Network (ECN+) - Letter from Markus J. Beyrer to Coreper III 12/03/2018
Reports and studies Date
Making sense of competition law compliance - A practical guide for SMEs 24/04/2017

Upcoming Events

18
Apr

To mark the twentieth anniversary of the EU Merger Regulation, the European Commission Directorate-General for competition is organising a conference that will bring together leading experts to discuss and reflect on the impact of EU merger control over the last decades.

Last updated: 6 April 2020