This article, part of our special On-Topic series on "A New Agenda for Growth: The Draghi Report and Competition Policy,"discusses the Draghi report’s assessment of European telecom markets, questioning its claims of underperformance and its recommendations for increased consolidation. It argues that easing merger control could harm competition and investment while highlighting positive proposals, ...
The study investigates the impact of COVID-related State aid measures (COVID-aid) on firms’ performance in selected EU countries, distinguishing among different categories of (pre-crisis) firm size, economic sector, and type of financial instrument received. The current analysis covers three countries with available National State Aid Registries, namely Italy, Poland, and Spain, which enable precise ...
Unlike most retrospective merger studies that only focus on price effects, we also estimate the impact of a merger on product variety. We use an original dataset on Dutch supermarkets to assess the effect of a merger that was conditionally approved by the Dutch Competition Authority (ACM) on prices and the depth of assortment. We find that the merger did not affect prices but it led the merging parties ...
In this paper we reflect on the debate that took place during the OECD’s “Capacity building workshop on ex-post evaluation of competition authorities’ enforcement decisions.” The purpose is to elaborate on the general discussion that emerged during the workshop, to highlight our opinions on the various topics touched upon, as well as to provide a synthesis of the different views expressed by the delegates. ...
