Joint Venture Regulation under European Competition Laws: An Update

Abstract: This article examines the European approach to joint venture regulation. It updates previous analysis by examining the impact of modernisation reforms on joint venture regulation in Europe. It is argued that although the changes on the whole are conducive to joint venture activity, problematic aspects of regulation were either unaddressed, or could be provoked by, the reform. In particular, the substantive and procedural divide in legal treatment of ‘concentrative’ and ‘cooperative’ joint venture arrangements continues to engender some difficulty.