Economic reasoning in the Court of Justice of the EU : a study on the use of economics in competition case-law

Abstract

Competition law is intrinsically connected with economics and economic theory. This thesis tries to find out how economics is reflected in case law of the Court of Justice of the EU in competition cases. It discusses the role of economics in European competition law and in legal reasoning, and it examines limits and constraints of this role. Besides this, the thesis takes into consideration the role of the CJEU and some aspects of its work which may have influence on the perception of economics. The core of the thesis lies in the assessment of the practice of the CJEU. It focuses on the field of abuse of dominance and examines how the CJEU works with economic arguments, how its approach differs from economic theory and in which way the approach has developed over time.