Description: This book is the first to empirically examine the role of non-competition interests (public policy) in the enforcement of the EU's prohibition on anti-competitive agreements. Based on an original quantitative and qualitative database of over 3,100 cases, this book records all of the public enforcement actions of Article 101 TFEU taken by the Commission, EU Courts, and the national competition authorities and courts of five representative Member States (France, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, and the UK). The book not only exposes explicit tools in which non-competition interests played a role, but also sheds light on the "dark matter" of balancing, namely, invisible forms of balancing triggered by the institutional and procedural setup of the competition enforcers. Moreover, it contributes to the empirical-legal study of various other aspects of EU competition law enforcement, such as its objectives, the more economic approach, decentralized enforcement, and the functioning and success of Regulation 1/2003.
Brief description: Or Brook is a Lecturer of Competition Law and the Deputy-Director of the Center for Business Law and Practice (CBLP) at the University of Leeds. She is also the Director of the UK's branch of the International Association of Competition Law Scholars (ASCOLA). She holds bachelor's degrees in Economics and Law, both from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem (honours), a master's degree in EU Competition Law and Regulation (honours), and a PhD in Law from the University of Amsterdam.
Review Quotes: 'This is a sophisticated yet highly readable book, which provides a detailed and thorough exploration of its research questions ... The book stands out as one of the most distinctive contributions to EU competition law scholarship in recent years.' Niamh Dunne, Common Market Law Review