Competition law Blog

Official Blog of the European Competition and Regulatory Law Review (CoRe)

The CoRe Blog is the interactive online platform for up-to-date analysis of EU competition law developments. It’s the blog companion of the quarterly double-blind peer-reviewed European Competition and Regulatory Law Review (CoRe). The CoRe Blog fills in the gaps that a quarterly can’t address: immediate updates and analysis of breaking news in EU competition.

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Features ×

7. November 2024  |   Features by Daniel Mandrescu

Case C-264/23 Booking.com – Ancillary restraints and market definition in the platform economy
hotel booking platform
The recent judgment of the CJEU in Booking.com represents yet another development in the long series of cases concerning price parity clauses in the platform economy. In Booking.com’s case, the judgment represents the end of the line for its parity clauses. In its greater context of applying EU competition law in the digital economy, the judgment offers new insights into […]
read more
No Comments
26. October 2023  |   by Daniel Mandrescu

Booking / eTraveli: assessing envelopment strategies and mixing up market power thresholds
airport travel, competition law, platforms, antitrust, EUMR, booking.com, etraveli
About a month ago the European Commission announced that it was prohibiting the acquisition of eTraveli by Booking Holdings (Booking.com). The prohibition, which is a rare occurrence in itself, did not attract much attention beyond comments on the ‘ecosystem’ theory of harm which it may have introduced. But this case offers more than that. First, it shows that current practice […]
read more
No Comments
31. August 2023  |   by Parsa Tonkaboni

The ECJ Judgment in CK Telecoms – Setting the Record Straight?
Competition Blogs - 0122 Blog post
Introduction On 13 July 2023, the European Court of Justice (‘ECJ’) delivered its highly anticipated ruling in CK Telecoms UK Investments v European Commission (‘CK Telecoms’). The Grand Chamber judgment is significant at the most fundamental level. It clarifies some of the core legal concepts and principles at the very heart of EU merger control. The five crucial issues the […]
read more
No Comments
18. January 2023  |   Features by Daniel Mandrescu

Case C-42/21P Lithuanian Railways – another clarification on the Bronner case law and the non-exhaustive character of art. 102 TFEU
competition law, abuse of dominance, refusal to supply, Lithuanian railways, bronner, essential facility, art. 102 TFEU
The recent case of Lithuanian Railways provides yet another clarification on the scope of application of the Bronner case law. The Judgement of the CJEU reconfirms exceptional character of the Bronner case law and the type of situations it is intended to apply to. By doing so the CJEU potentially helps prevent future disputes of a similar  nature in the […]
read more
No Comments
3. January 2023  |   Features by Daniel Mandrescu

On-platform Tying or Another Case of Leveraging- A Discussion on Facebook Marketplace
facebook, competition law, abuse of dominance, art. 102 TFEU, multisided platforms, dominant position, tying and bundling, unfair trading conditions, competition economics, european commission,
Just before 2022 ended the Commission sent a statement of objections to Meta regarding the potential abusive behaviour of Facebook. According to the statement of objections, Facebook may be engaging in (i) abusive tying practices with regard to Facebook Marketplace as users (i.e. consumers) that log into Facebook and are automatically also offered access to the Facebook Marketplace, without the […]
read more
No Comments
7. December 2022  |   Features by Daniel Mandrescu

The draft notice on market definition and multisided (digital) platforms – avoiding rather than resolving some of the main challenges
market definition notice, relevant market, market power, market analysis, notice update, digital platforms, multisided markets, multisided platforms, online platforms, SSNIP test, SSNDQ test, Google android, Google shopping, merger control, abuse of dominance
Approximately a month ago the Commission published its draft notice on the definition of the relevant market. The new notice is supposed to replace the old one that dates back to 1997 and thereby bring the entire process up to date with today’s new challenges, particularly in the context of digital markets. A first read of this long awaited document […]
read more
No Comments
12. November 2019  |   Features by Friso Bostoen

Amazon cases on the move: Bundeskartellamt closes proceedings while European Commission opens formal investigation
online shopping cartoon
The 17th of July has been quite the day for Amazon, at least when it comes to antitrust. Firstly, the German Competition Authority (Bundeskartellamt) has closed its abuse of dominance proceedings against Amazon in return for concessions from the online marketplace. Secondly, the European Commission announced that it was opening a formal investigation into possible anti-competitive conduct by Amazon. This blog post takes a closer […]
read more
No Comments
14. May 2019  |   Features by Daniel Mandrescu

App stores and (potential) abuses of dominance – an opportunity to reshape competition law enforcement in digital markets
smartphone menu
During the past few weeks the number of complaints against Apple’s practices concerning the App Store has not gone unnoticed. While previous complaints by unhappy developers were perceived as isolated cases it would seem that now the flood gates have been opened, and the stream is primarily targeting Apple. In Europe, this development has been given quite some media coverage […]
read more
No Comments
21. March 2019  |   by Daniel Mandrescu

Business users vs. platforms – a (not entirely) new battle frontier
Competition Blogs - campaign creators OGOWDVLbMSc unsplash
The recent complaint of Spotify against Apple is yet another case concerning the contractual relationship between online platforms and their business users that appear to arise quite often these days. In the context of these cases the business users of online platforms claim to be subject to undesired practices such discriminatory treatment and unreasonable pricing. The essence of most of these complaints […]
read more
No Comments
18. February 2019  |   Features by Friso Bostoen

When competition law met data protection: the Bundeskartellamt’s Facebook decision
Competition Blogs - kon karampelas HUBofEFQ6CA unsplash
On February 6th, the German Competition Authority (Bundeskartellamt or BKA) adopted its long-awaited Facebook decision, imposing far-reaching restrictions on how the social network can collect and process user data. This decision follows a preliminary assessment that the BKA published in December 2017, which this blog discussed at length. The BKA’s decision—as set out in a case summary and background paper—sticks closely to its preliminary assessment. In this blog post, […]
read more
No Comments
Next Page »
Anja Naumann

Blog Editor

LL.M., PhD, currently legal trainee at the Higher Regional Court of Berlin.

>> Anja’s CoRe Blog posts >>

Daniel Mandrescu
Blog editor Assistant Professor EU competition law, Europa Institute, Leiden University >> Daniel's CoRe blog posts >>
Friso Bostoen

Blog Editor

Assistant Professor of Competition Law and Digital Regulation, Tilburg University

Friso Bostoen is an assistant professor of competition law and digital regulation at Tilburg University. Previously, he was a Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute. He holds degrees from KU Leuven (PhD, LLM) and Harvard University (LLM). Friso’s research focuses on antitrust enforcement in digital markets. His work has resulted in numerous international publications, presentations, and awards (including the AdC Competition Policy Award 2019 and the Concurrences PhD Award 2022). In addition, Friso edits the CoRe Blog and hosts the Monopoly Attack podcast.

>> Friso’s CoRe Blog posts >>

Nelly Stratieva

Head of Editorial Department and Data Protection Officer

Responsible for EStAL (European State Aid Law Quarterly), EPPPL (European Public Private Partnership Law Review) and CoRe (European Competition and Regulatory Law Review). Overseeing Lexxion Publisher’s privacy and data protection compliance.

Parsa Tonkaboni
Picture Rita Paukste
Rita Paukste

Former Blog Editor

Senior Associate, Motieka & Audzevicius PLP, Vilnius

>> Rita’s CoRe Blog posts >>

Features ×

7. November 2024  |   Features by Daniel Mandrescu

Case C-264/23 Booking.com – Ancillary restraints and market definition in the platform economy
hotel booking platform
The recent judgment of the CJEU in Booking.com represents yet another development in the long series of cases concerning price parity clauses in the platform economy. In Booking.com’s case, the judgment represents the end of the line for its parity clauses. In its greater context of applying EU competition law in the digital economy, the judgment offers new insights into […]
read more
No Comments
26. October 2023  |   by Daniel Mandrescu

Booking / eTraveli: assessing envelopment strategies and mixing up market power thresholds
airport travel, competition law, platforms, antitrust, EUMR, booking.com, etraveli
About a month ago the European Commission announced that it was prohibiting the acquisition of eTraveli by Booking Holdings (Booking.com). The prohibition, which is a rare occurrence in itself, did not attract much attention beyond comments on the ‘ecosystem’ theory of harm which it may have introduced. But this case offers more than that. First, it shows that current practice […]
read more
No Comments
31. August 2023  |   by Parsa Tonkaboni

The ECJ Judgment in CK Telecoms – Setting the Record Straight?
Competition Blogs - 0122 Blog post
Introduction On 13 July 2023, the European Court of Justice (‘ECJ’) delivered its highly anticipated ruling in CK Telecoms UK Investments v European Commission (‘CK Telecoms’). The Grand Chamber judgment is significant at the most fundamental level. It clarifies some of the core legal concepts and principles at the very heart of EU merger control. The five crucial issues the […]
read more
No Comments
18. January 2023  |   Features by Daniel Mandrescu

Case C-42/21P Lithuanian Railways – another clarification on the Bronner case law and the non-exhaustive character of art. 102 TFEU
competition law, abuse of dominance, refusal to supply, Lithuanian railways, bronner, essential facility, art. 102 TFEU
The recent case of Lithuanian Railways provides yet another clarification on the scope of application of the Bronner case law. The Judgement of the CJEU reconfirms exceptional character of the Bronner case law and the type of situations it is intended to apply to. By doing so the CJEU potentially helps prevent future disputes of a similar  nature in the […]
read more
No Comments
3. January 2023  |   Features by Daniel Mandrescu

On-platform Tying or Another Case of Leveraging- A Discussion on Facebook Marketplace
facebook, competition law, abuse of dominance, art. 102 TFEU, multisided platforms, dominant position, tying and bundling, unfair trading conditions, competition economics, european commission,
Just before 2022 ended the Commission sent a statement of objections to Meta regarding the potential abusive behaviour of Facebook. According to the statement of objections, Facebook may be engaging in (i) abusive tying practices with regard to Facebook Marketplace as users (i.e. consumers) that log into Facebook and are automatically also offered access to the Facebook Marketplace, without the […]
read more
No Comments
7. December 2022  |   Features by Daniel Mandrescu

The draft notice on market definition and multisided (digital) platforms – avoiding rather than resolving some of the main challenges
market definition notice, relevant market, market power, market analysis, notice update, digital platforms, multisided markets, multisided platforms, online platforms, SSNIP test, SSNDQ test, Google android, Google shopping, merger control, abuse of dominance
Approximately a month ago the Commission published its draft notice on the definition of the relevant market. The new notice is supposed to replace the old one that dates back to 1997 and thereby bring the entire process up to date with today’s new challenges, particularly in the context of digital markets. A first read of this long awaited document […]
read more
No Comments
12. November 2019  |   Features by Friso Bostoen

Amazon cases on the move: Bundeskartellamt closes proceedings while European Commission opens formal investigation
online shopping cartoon
The 17th of July has been quite the day for Amazon, at least when it comes to antitrust. Firstly, the German Competition Authority (Bundeskartellamt) has closed its abuse of dominance proceedings against Amazon in return for concessions from the online marketplace. Secondly, the European Commission announced that it was opening a formal investigation into possible anti-competitive conduct by Amazon. This blog post takes a closer […]
read more
No Comments
14. May 2019  |   Features by Daniel Mandrescu

App stores and (potential) abuses of dominance – an opportunity to reshape competition law enforcement in digital markets
smartphone menu
During the past few weeks the number of complaints against Apple’s practices concerning the App Store has not gone unnoticed. While previous complaints by unhappy developers were perceived as isolated cases it would seem that now the flood gates have been opened, and the stream is primarily targeting Apple. In Europe, this development has been given quite some media coverage […]
read more
No Comments
21. March 2019  |   by Daniel Mandrescu

Business users vs. platforms – a (not entirely) new battle frontier
Competition Blogs - campaign creators OGOWDVLbMSc unsplash
The recent complaint of Spotify against Apple is yet another case concerning the contractual relationship between online platforms and their business users that appear to arise quite often these days. In the context of these cases the business users of online platforms claim to be subject to undesired practices such discriminatory treatment and unreasonable pricing. The essence of most of these complaints […]
read more
No Comments
18. February 2019  |   Features by Friso Bostoen

When competition law met data protection: the Bundeskartellamt’s Facebook decision
Competition Blogs - kon karampelas HUBofEFQ6CA unsplash
On February 6th, the German Competition Authority (Bundeskartellamt or BKA) adopted its long-awaited Facebook decision, imposing far-reaching restrictions on how the social network can collect and process user data. This decision follows a preliminary assessment that the BKA published in December 2017, which this blog discussed at length. The BKA’s decision—as set out in a case summary and background paper—sticks closely to its preliminary assessment. In this blog post, […]
read more
No Comments
Next Page »

Features ×

7. November 2024  |   Features by Daniel Mandrescu

Case C-264/23 Booking.com – Ancillary restraints and market definition in the platform economy
hotel booking platform
The recent judgment of the CJEU in Booking.com represents yet another development in the long series of cases concerning price parity clauses in the platform economy. In Booking.com’s case, the judgment represents the end of the line for its parity clauses. In its greater context of applying EU competition law in the digital economy, the judgment offers new insights into […]
read more
No Comments
26. October 2023  |   by Daniel Mandrescu

Booking / eTraveli: assessing envelopment strategies and mixing up market power thresholds
airport travel, competition law, platforms, antitrust, EUMR, booking.com, etraveli
About a month ago the European Commission announced that it was prohibiting the acquisition of eTraveli by Booking Holdings (Booking.com). The prohibition, which is a rare occurrence in itself, did not attract much attention beyond comments on the ‘ecosystem’ theory of harm which it may have introduced. But this case offers more than that. First, it shows that current practice […]
read more
No Comments
31. August 2023  |   by Parsa Tonkaboni

The ECJ Judgment in CK Telecoms – Setting the Record Straight?
Competition Blogs - 0122 Blog post
Introduction On 13 July 2023, the European Court of Justice (‘ECJ’) delivered its highly anticipated ruling in CK Telecoms UK Investments v European Commission (‘CK Telecoms’). The Grand Chamber judgment is significant at the most fundamental level. It clarifies some of the core legal concepts and principles at the very heart of EU merger control. The five crucial issues the […]
read more
No Comments
18. January 2023  |   Features by Daniel Mandrescu

Case C-42/21P Lithuanian Railways – another clarification on the Bronner case law and the non-exhaustive character of art. 102 TFEU
competition law, abuse of dominance, refusal to supply, Lithuanian railways, bronner, essential facility, art. 102 TFEU
The recent case of Lithuanian Railways provides yet another clarification on the scope of application of the Bronner case law. The Judgement of the CJEU reconfirms exceptional character of the Bronner case law and the type of situations it is intended to apply to. By doing so the CJEU potentially helps prevent future disputes of a similar  nature in the […]
read more
No Comments
3. January 2023  |   Features by Daniel Mandrescu

On-platform Tying or Another Case of Leveraging- A Discussion on Facebook Marketplace
facebook, competition law, abuse of dominance, art. 102 TFEU, multisided platforms, dominant position, tying and bundling, unfair trading conditions, competition economics, european commission,
Just before 2022 ended the Commission sent a statement of objections to Meta regarding the potential abusive behaviour of Facebook. According to the statement of objections, Facebook may be engaging in (i) abusive tying practices with regard to Facebook Marketplace as users (i.e. consumers) that log into Facebook and are automatically also offered access to the Facebook Marketplace, without the […]
read more
No Comments
7. December 2022  |   Features by Daniel Mandrescu

The draft notice on market definition and multisided (digital) platforms – avoiding rather than resolving some of the main challenges
market definition notice, relevant market, market power, market analysis, notice update, digital platforms, multisided markets, multisided platforms, online platforms, SSNIP test, SSNDQ test, Google android, Google shopping, merger control, abuse of dominance
Approximately a month ago the Commission published its draft notice on the definition of the relevant market. The new notice is supposed to replace the old one that dates back to 1997 and thereby bring the entire process up to date with today’s new challenges, particularly in the context of digital markets. A first read of this long awaited document […]
read more
No Comments
12. November 2019  |   Features by Friso Bostoen

Amazon cases on the move: Bundeskartellamt closes proceedings while European Commission opens formal investigation
online shopping cartoon
The 17th of July has been quite the day for Amazon, at least when it comes to antitrust. Firstly, the German Competition Authority (Bundeskartellamt) has closed its abuse of dominance proceedings against Amazon in return for concessions from the online marketplace. Secondly, the European Commission announced that it was opening a formal investigation into possible anti-competitive conduct by Amazon. This blog post takes a closer […]
read more
No Comments
14. May 2019  |   Features by Daniel Mandrescu

App stores and (potential) abuses of dominance – an opportunity to reshape competition law enforcement in digital markets
smartphone menu
During the past few weeks the number of complaints against Apple’s practices concerning the App Store has not gone unnoticed. While previous complaints by unhappy developers were perceived as isolated cases it would seem that now the flood gates have been opened, and the stream is primarily targeting Apple. In Europe, this development has been given quite some media coverage […]
read more
No Comments
21. March 2019  |   by Daniel Mandrescu

Business users vs. platforms – a (not entirely) new battle frontier
Competition Blogs - campaign creators OGOWDVLbMSc unsplash
The recent complaint of Spotify against Apple is yet another case concerning the contractual relationship between online platforms and their business users that appear to arise quite often these days. In the context of these cases the business users of online platforms claim to be subject to undesired practices such discriminatory treatment and unreasonable pricing. The essence of most of these complaints […]
read more
No Comments
18. February 2019  |   Features by Friso Bostoen

When competition law met data protection: the Bundeskartellamt’s Facebook decision
Competition Blogs - kon karampelas HUBofEFQ6CA unsplash
On February 6th, the German Competition Authority (Bundeskartellamt or BKA) adopted its long-awaited Facebook decision, imposing far-reaching restrictions on how the social network can collect and process user data. This decision follows a preliminary assessment that the BKA published in December 2017, which this blog discussed at length. The BKA’s decision—as set out in a case summary and background paper—sticks closely to its preliminary assessment. In this blog post, […]
read more
No Comments
Next Page »

How to Submit a Blog Post

Do you want to share your analysis of a competition law topic? We invite you to submit your post on, for example: recent European, national or international judgments or legislation with relevance to EU competition law; new developments, publications, hot topics in EU competition law. The recommended length of the post is 500-2,000 words incl. references (endnotes). Your analysis will be published under the category ‘Guest Blog’.

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