EU:s Koncentrationsförordning och European champions: En studie om EU:s koncentrationsförordning och dess förenlighet med strategin att skapa s.k. European champions
(2025) LAGF03 20251Department of Law
Faculty of Law
- Abstract
- This essay analyzes the regulation of efficiency gains in the EU merger control regime and its compatibility with the European Commission's strategy and ambition to create more globally competitive European firms, also known as European champions. I examine the current legislation, including the Council Regulation No 139/2004, the Horizontal Merger Guidelines issued by the European Commission and four legal cases clarifying the law and assessment of efficiency gains under the EU merger control regime. The legislation and assessments of efficiency gains are subsequently put in relation to the European Commission's strategy to create European champions. Furthermore, the essay includes a critical perspective on how the regulation of... (More)
- This essay analyzes the regulation of efficiency gains in the EU merger control regime and its compatibility with the European Commission's strategy and ambition to create more globally competitive European firms, also known as European champions. I examine the current legislation, including the Council Regulation No 139/2004, the Horizontal Merger Guidelines issued by the European Commission and four legal cases clarifying the law and assessment of efficiency gains under the EU merger control regime. The legislation and assessments of efficiency gains are subsequently put in relation to the European Commission's strategy to create European champions. Furthermore, the essay includes a critical perspective on how the regulation of efficiency gains corresponds to the creation of European champions.
The consideration of efficiency gains under the EU merger control regime is regulated in Article 2(1)b, recital 29 of Council regulation No 139/2004 and in the Horizontal Merger Guidelines. Article 2(1)b stipulates that when assessing mergers “technical and economic progress” should be taken into account while recital 29 of the regulation states that efficiencies that arise from mergers can counteract mergers who otherwise would have been harmful. Since the strategy to create European champions is outlined with reference to improve competitiveness through more efficient European firms, there is a close relationship between the regulation of efficiency gains and the strategy to create European champions.
The analysis in this study puts forward evidence that the current regulation of efficiency gains under the EU merger control regime is not fully compatible with the European Commission's strategy to create European champions. In the essay, I have found that the interpretation of consumer benefit under the current regulation, the high burden of proof and the asymmetrical presumptions, where the European Commission presumes that mergers could lead to efficiencies, while the EU merger control regime does not acknowledge such a presumption. However, it is concluded that the possibility to take efficiency gains into account could enable the creation of European champions. (Less) - Abstract (Swedish)
- Denna uppsats utreder regleringen kring och i vilken utsträckning det finns möjlighet att ta hänsyn till effektivitetsvinster enligt EU:s koncentrationsförordning och sätter detta i relation till EU-kommissionens strategi att skapa fler globalt konkurrenskraftiga företag, s.k. European champions. I uppsatsen diskuteras gällande rätt i stort, vilket innefattar EU:s koncentrationsförordning, EU-kommissionens riktlinjer och rättsfall som ger vägledning för tolkningen och tillämpningen av effektivitetsvinster i EU:s koncentrationsförordning.
Effektivitetsvinster ska beaktas vid bedömningar av om en företagskoncentration är förenlig med den inre marknaden enligt Artikel 2(1)b och skäl nr. 29 i EU:s koncentrationsförordning samt i... (More) - Denna uppsats utreder regleringen kring och i vilken utsträckning det finns möjlighet att ta hänsyn till effektivitetsvinster enligt EU:s koncentrationsförordning och sätter detta i relation till EU-kommissionens strategi att skapa fler globalt konkurrenskraftiga företag, s.k. European champions. I uppsatsen diskuteras gällande rätt i stort, vilket innefattar EU:s koncentrationsförordning, EU-kommissionens riktlinjer och rättsfall som ger vägledning för tolkningen och tillämpningen av effektivitetsvinster i EU:s koncentrationsförordning.
Effektivitetsvinster ska beaktas vid bedömningar av om en företagskoncentration är förenlig med den inre marknaden enligt Artikel 2(1)b och skäl nr. 29 i EU:s koncentrationsförordning samt i EU-kommissionens riktlinjer för horisontella företagskoncentrationer. Artikel 2(1)b stadgar att hänsyn ska tas “tekniskt och ekonomiskt framåtskridande” och skäl nr. 29 stadgar att den ökade effektivitet som en företagskoncentration medför kan motverka och neutralisera de annars konkurrenshämmande effekterna.
Utredningen av rättsläget visar att det finns möjlighet att ta hänsyn till effektivitetsvinster enligt EU:s koncentrationsförordning, däremot är det begränsat och EU-kommissionen är restriktiv vid sin tillämpning av effektivitetsvinster. Analysen av rättsfallen och EU-kommissionens riktlinjer visar att möjligheten att ta hänsyn till effektivitetsvinster begränsas av att konsumentperspektivet är centralt, att beviskravet är högt och att bevisbördan ligger på företagen. I analysen har det visats att dessa begränsningar inte återspeglar EU-kommissionens strategi att skapa fler European champions. Analysen av EU-domstolen praxis visar också på att det enligt gällande rätt inte finns någon presumtion för att en företagskoncentration skapar effektivitetsvinster, något som skapar en asymmetri mellan gällande rätt och EU-kommissionens strategi. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9189717
- author
- Falk, Oscar LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- LAGF03 20251
- year
- 2025
- type
- M2 - Bachelor Degree
- subject
- keywords
- EU-rätt, konkurrensrätt
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 9189717
- date added to LUP
- 2025-06-23 12:54:28
- date last changed
- 2025-06-23 12:54:28
@misc{9189717,
abstract = {{This essay analyzes the regulation of efficiency gains in the EU merger control regime and its compatibility with the European Commission's strategy and ambition to create more globally competitive European firms, also known as European champions. I examine the current legislation, including the Council Regulation No 139/2004, the Horizontal Merger Guidelines issued by the European Commission and four legal cases clarifying the law and assessment of efficiency gains under the EU merger control regime. The legislation and assessments of efficiency gains are subsequently put in relation to the European Commission's strategy to create European champions. Furthermore, the essay includes a critical perspective on how the regulation of efficiency gains corresponds to the creation of European champions.
The consideration of efficiency gains under the EU merger control regime is regulated in Article 2(1)b, recital 29 of Council regulation No 139/2004 and in the Horizontal Merger Guidelines. Article 2(1)b stipulates that when assessing mergers “technical and economic progress” should be taken into account while recital 29 of the regulation states that efficiencies that arise from mergers can counteract mergers who otherwise would have been harmful. Since the strategy to create European champions is outlined with reference to improve competitiveness through more efficient European firms, there is a close relationship between the regulation of efficiency gains and the strategy to create European champions.
The analysis in this study puts forward evidence that the current regulation of efficiency gains under the EU merger control regime is not fully compatible with the European Commission's strategy to create European champions. In the essay, I have found that the interpretation of consumer benefit under the current regulation, the high burden of proof and the asymmetrical presumptions, where the European Commission presumes that mergers could lead to efficiencies, while the EU merger control regime does not acknowledge such a presumption. However, it is concluded that the possibility to take efficiency gains into account could enable the creation of European champions.}},
author = {{Falk, Oscar}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{EU:s Koncentrationsförordning och European champions: En studie om EU:s koncentrationsförordning och dess förenlighet med strategin att skapa s.k. European champions}},
year = {{2025}},
}