Should EU consumer law be used to close a presumed enforcement gap under EU competition law? The unintended consequences of Invitel and RWE Vertrieb

Publishers Abstract:
Considers, with reference to the European Court of Justice decisions in Nemzeti Fogyasztovedelmi Hatosag v Invitel Tavkozlesi Zrt (C-472/10) and RWE Vertrieb AG v Verbraucherzentrale Nordrhein-Westfalen eV (C-92/11), whether by disallowing permission to unilaterally amend prices in contracts of indeterminate duration under Directive 93/13 the court emphasised consumer protection principles at the expense of freedom of contract in order to close an enforcement gap under EU competition law. Compares the approach towards allegations of excessive prices and assesses the implications of the cases.