EC Competition and Environmental Protection

This paper reviews the various areas of tension between competition and environmental protection. It examines the compatibility with EC competition rules of the environmental agreements, certain behaviours of dominant undertakings carrying out environmental activities, the exclusive rights granted to certain undertakings entrusted with environmental protection missions, and the State aids granted for environmental protection. This paper concludes that the European Commission, which is entrusted with the application of competition rules in the European Union, has sought, and generally managed, to find a balance between environmental protection and competition policy objectives