A fair referee? The European Commission and EU competition policy

The EU's policies for enforcing competition and restricting state subsidies are among its biggest success stories. But the way the European Commission conducts these policies is coming under attack. Some EU governments blame the Commission for being over-zealous and holding back the creation of European 'champions'. Many in the US accuse the Commission of being too interventionist - or just anti-American. Alasdair Murray advises the Commission to stand firm and not water down EU competition rules. Instead, the Commission should modernise EU competition policy through increasing transparency, paying more attention to consumers and, above all, supporting the EU's economic reform agenda.