Competition and Economic Integration in Europe

Competition and Economic Integration in Europe explores the relationship between competition policy and economic integration in the enlarging European Union. It contains valuable contributions from academics and officials from inside and outside the European Union as well as offering a transatlantic perspective on the enabling effect of competition policy on deepening European integration.This book examines the importance of competition policy in the Europe Agreements signed with the Central and East European countries, whilst emphasizing that agreement on the adoption of competition rules is just one element in the complex process of accession to the European Union. The book argues that harmonization of competition policy along EU lines across the wider Europe is necessary to create a culture of competition among the European partner countries. The contributors examine the actual and potential roles of competition policy as a regulator of cross-border flows, an agent for the removal of trade barriers and as one of a number of measures to enable a move towards free trade. Competition policy is also advocated as a framework for business behaviour, in order to eradicate 'unfair' competition and as a foundation for the privatization programmes of governments. The book concludes with a postscript linking the argument of the book with the European Commission's Agenda 2000 report of July 1997. This book will prove invaluable to academics and students in the field of transition economics, the economics of the European Union, comparative institutions and industrial policy.