Buyer power may provide a countervailing force to enhanced seller power, and unless it leads to successive power, it may lead to lower prices in the downstream market. However, buyer power may also be socially detrimental when it is not in the presence of strong seller power. In that case it may...

The recent financial crisis has illustrated the unprecedented difficulties that companies faced as well as the initiatives that were adopted at corporate and government level in order to mitigate the adverse impact of the crisis.A strategic response for struggling firms and one of the means of...

This article deals with some important and complex issues which concern the assessment of a merger involving a failing firm. Competition authorities have recognised the importance of a merger/acquisition in avoiding bankruptcy as well as the impact of the failing firm defence on entry in the...

The Commission in dealing with merger cases is bound to a teleological approach, taking into account the purpose and intent of the ECMR. This paper will focus on the current criteria used in assessing collective dominance as they have been formulated after the landmark decision of the CFI in the...

The accuracy and outcome of the market definition process can substantially alter the assessment of the Commission of a particular merger since the degree of competition in a market crucially depends on how the boundaries of the market in product and geographical terms determine the presence and...

This article deals with the assessment of a merger involving a failing firm. Competition authorities have recognised the importance of a merger/acquisition in avoiding bankruptcy as well as the impact of the failing firm defence on entry in the market and the role of potential dynamic or...

This article analyses how the concept of collective dominance is applied in the case law of the European Control Merger Regulation and how the assessment criteria have been developed through this case law precedence. In spite of the extensive development of the notion of collective dominance...

Non price considerations in merger control and unilateral conduct enforcement have been elements of the competition authorities’ assessment in the last few decades. Recently a revamped emphasis on such factors and in particular on the importance of innovation has characterised the European...

This paper focuses on the assessment of mergers, and in particular on unilateral effects analysis where innovation plays an important role. The paper discusses the economic theories behind innovation, how we move from the traditional product-by-product market definition to pipeline competition...