Fundamental Procedural Rights and Effective Enforcement of Articles 101 and 102 TFEU in the European Competition Network

World Competition, Volume 43, Issue 1, March 2020

34 Pages Posted: 13 Feb 2020 Last revised: 8 Jul 2020

See all articles by Wouter P. J. Wils

Wouter P. J. Wils

King's College London - The Dickson Poon School of Law; European Union - European Commission

Date Written: December 6, 2019

Abstract

This paper deals with the fundamental procedural rights of companies that are targeted in the enforcement of Articles 101 and 102 TFEU by the European Commission or the competition authorities of the EU Member States. The paper first provides a (non-exhaustive) list of such rights as applicable to the enforcement of Articles 101 and 102 TFEU by the European Commission, and explains the source of these fundamental rights in the EU legal order. The paper then examines the relationship between fundamental procedural rights and effective enforcement of Articles 101 and 102 TFEU. It argues that procedural rights often contribute to effective enforcement, but not always. The interplay between fundamental rights of legal persons and competition enforcement remains a balancing exercise, and this balancing exercise is not the same as in traditional criminal law. Finally, the paper examines the question whether or to what extent EU Member States can, for the enforcement of Articles 101 and 102 TFEU by their national competition authorities, provide for a lower or a higher level of procedural rights than the level of fundamental procedural rights applicable to the enforcement of Articles 101 and 102 TFEU by the European Commission.

Keywords: EU competition law, antitrust, fundamental procedural rights, effective enforcement, European Competition Network, legal professional privilege, self-incrimination, right to remain silent

JEL Classification: K00, K14, K20, K21, K40, K42, L40

Suggested Citation

Wils, Wouter P. J., Fundamental Procedural Rights and Effective Enforcement of Articles 101 and 102 TFEU in the European Competition Network (December 6, 2019). World Competition, Volume 43, Issue 1, March 2020, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3526018

Wouter P. J. Wils (Contact Author)

King's College London - The Dickson Poon School of Law

Somerset House East Wing
Strand
London, WC2R 2LS
United Kingdom

European Union - European Commission ( email )

Brussels, B-1049
Belgium

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