EU competition policy

The purpose of the European Union's competition policy is to increase economic efficiency in member states and to remove barriers to trade between member states. The principles of EU competition law apply in all member states and - with the exception of matters affecting only one member state - are enforced by the European Commission.

Origins

The principles of EU competition law have been attributed to the combined influence of United States antitrust law and German dominance law. They were first embodied in the 1951 Treaty of Paris (which set up the European Coal and Steel Community) and subsequently in Articles 85 and 86 of the 1957 Treaty of Rome (numbered 81 and 82 in the later Treaty of Amsterdam).