Conclusions

Abstract

This final chapter draws together the thematic issues that have, both explicitly and implicitly, pervaded this book. The role of administrative discretion; the politicised nature of European competition policy; the implications of resource constraints on DGIV; the desire for greater legal certainty and transparency; the relevance of the subsidiarity principle; and the extent of the policy’s effectiveness are all themes that frame the current reform agenda. They provide a framework for our understanding of the policy in the first part of the chapter, which reviews the problems and challenges currently facing competition policy-makers. The focus then shifts, in the second part of the chapter, to provide an overview of one possible solution to these problems and challenges, the controversial proposal to set up an independent European Cartel Office. To end the chapter, we draw out some of the broader challenges likely to face European competition policy in coming years.