Competition Policy in the European Union Book

Michelle Cini and Lee McGowan have written a very interesting book on one of the most important areas of policy making at the level of the European Union. In this field, unlike others, the Commission has powers to act that derive directly from the Rome Treaty. Without the agreement of the Council of Ministers, it can outlaw agreements between firms, impose fines and order state aids to be paid back. EU competition rules cover all kinds of private anti-competitive behaviour, cartels and monopolies, as well as subsidies given to firms by member states. The authors, who are political scientists, have tried to explain how this all works by going beyond a strictly legal perspective. They illustrate the inevitable political compromises that such a regime involves. They remind us that all big decisions are made by a vote of all the Commissioners and not simply by the Directorate General for Competition and emphasise the inherent trade-off that arises between effectiveness and accountability. They stress that EU competition policy is obliged to take into account a multiplicity of goals--including market integration and the need to promote technical progress--that go beyond any simple technical criterion of "competition". This book can be recommended to everyone interested in the subject. It is short, readable and remarkably comprehensive. --Peter HolmesRead More