The Rule of Law Deficit in EU Competition Law – A Time for Reassessment
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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63277/gsc.v45i.4308Abstract
The ongoing rule-of-law crisis in the European Union (EU) has given a new lease of life to a long-forgotten discussion about the relationship between the rule of law and EU competition law. According to this article, the current system of competition-law enforcement in the EU suffers from a rule-of-law deficit attributable to a constitutional set-up in which the EU Commission does not comply with EU fundamental rights, in particular due process, when it enforces EU competition law. The article takes an anatomical approach to EU competition law, proposing a metaphor according to which the Commission is the brain and the hands of the system while the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) is the heart of EU competition law. It is argued that the rule-of-law deficit stems, on the one hand, from the growth in vigour of both fundamental rights and due process and, on the other hand, from the withering force of due process in EU competition-law proceedings. The article further argues that the rule-of-law deficit affecting EU competition law poses risks to the legitimacy of the EU, the functioning of the National Competition Authorities (NCAs) and the protection of EU citizens.
