Competition in the EU refers to the rules that ensure fair rivalry in the European Union, protecting consumers from unfair practices and high prices.
The European Commission enforces these standards alongside national authorities across member countries.
Main Areas of EU Competition Rules
- Anti-competitive agreements (Article 101 TFEU): Prohibits secret deals, price-fixing, and cartels where independent companies agree not to compete.
- Abuse of dominance (Article 102 TFEU): Stops very large companies from abusing their market power to crush smaller rivals or cheat customers.
- Merger control: Requires major business takeovers and large company mergers to get official approval so they do not reduce market choice.
- State aid (Article 107 TFEU): Stops national governments from giving unfair financial help or selective subsidies to specific local companies.
Law No. 183/2012 establishes the legal framework for the protection of competition, including the prevention and counteraction of anti-competitive practices and unfair competition, the implementation of economic concentrations on the market, establishes the legal framework regarding the activity and competence of the Competition Council and responsibility for violations of competition law.
