The Europeanisation of British Competition Policy

Cini, Michelle. (2004) The Europeanisation of British Competition Policy. In: UNSPECIFIED, Sheffield, UK.

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Abstract

[Introduction]. Competition policy presents an interesting case of Europeanisation given that the two classic channels which promote the convergence of national regulations in the EU (that is, negative, market-related regulatory competition on the one hand, and positive, state-led harmonisation on the other) do not apply to this policy domain (van Waarden and Drahos, 2002: 913). In terms of positive pressure, while applicant states are expected to introduce EU-inspired/compatible competition laws prior to accession (see Fiala 2002; Tóth, 1998; Zinsmeister and Vasile, 1998), no such requirement has been imposed on those states that are already full members. Indeed, when the European Economic Community was set up in the late 1950s, only the Federal Republic of Germany’s competition regime came anywhere close to the European model. Nevertheless, national competition policies were introduced after 1958, and in many instances – in Italy and Sweden, for example - they have come to resemble those of the European Union (even if they are far from identikit versions) (Drahos, 2001; and see Andrews, 2002 on the Irish case).

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