The antitrust revolution in Europe. Exploring the European Commission’s cartel policy

Contents:

1. The Origins and Scope of European Competition Policy: Themes and Purpose

2. Uncovering Cartels: Understanding the Approaches and Complexities of Collusive Agreements

3. The Rise of the Cartel: Toleration, Encouragement and the Control of Cartels in Europe, 1871–1945

4. The Dawn of the Competition Principle in Western Europe, 1945–1957

5. Establishing the Architecture of EU Cartel Governance, 1958–1962

6. European Cartel Policy: Deployment and Combat, 1963–1998

7. The Decussis Mirabilis and the Antitrust Revolution in Europe, 1999 to the Present

8. The Internationalisation of Cartel Policy and the Challenges Ahead

Appendix: The Numbering and Renumbering of the Rules on Competition Under the Treaties This insightful and original book considers the evolution, aims and developments of EU antitrust policy, and focuses on the way in which the European Commission has sought to combat cartels. Lee McGowan explores the European Commission’s cartel policy by examining competition policy from a politics/public policy perspective, and discusses the actors, ideas and policy developments involved.

This topical study of EU cartel policy provides a fascinating account of supranational governance in action as the Commission looks for increasingly imaginative means to detect, unearth and penalize cartel offenders, through new regulations and strategic policy choices. The author traces the evolution of the European approach to cartels from 1870 with a major focus on the developments after 1945, especially the institutional architecture and policy advancements.

This book will be invaluable for students of politics and European integration whose focus is on the politics and policies of the EU and, in particular, on cartel policy. It will appeal to students of law, public policy, business and European studies and will also prove useful for those studying regulatory politics and policy making.