How to Cite
Abstract
This article examines the evolving normative order of the European Union in the field of competition law, focusing on the interplay between public enforcement by competition authorities and private damages claims before national courts. Building on the jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), the paper highlights the recognition of a right to compensation for any natural or legal person harmed by infringements of Articles 101 and 102 TFEU, irrespective of contractual relationships or prior administrative findings. Central to this discussion is the tension between ensuring effective access to evidence for claimants and safeguarding the attractiveness of leniency programmes, which remain vital tools for uncovering cartels. The analysis explores landmark cases such as Courage and Crehan, Manfredi, Pfleiderer, and Donau Chemie, which collectively shaped the principles of effectiveness, equivalence, and transparency in private enforcement. The article further assesses Directive 2014/104/EU, which seeks to harmonize disclosure rules across Member States while preventing overcompensation and preserving incentives for voluntary cooperation. Particular attention is given to the Commission’s restrictive stance on access to leniency-related documents under Regulation No 1049/2001 and the judicial pushback against blanket refusals of disclosure. By situating these developments within broader debates on collective redress, proportionality, and discretionary remedialism, the paper argues that the EU legal framework must strike a delicate balance: enabling victims to obtain full compensation without undermining public enforcement mechanisms. Ultimately, the study underscores the need for coherent, case‑by‑case judicial approaches that reconcile transparency, deterrence, and the integrity of competition law enforcement.
Keywords. Competition; Access to information; Damages; Effectiveness; Litigation.
JEL. K21; K41; L49.
References
Andreangeli, A. (2008). EU competition enforcement and human rights. Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781848441484
Ashton, D., & Henry, D. (2013). Competition damages actions in the EU: Law and practice. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Bael, I. V. (2010). Competition law of the European Community (5. baskı). Kluwer Law International.
Bar, C. V., & Zimmermann, R. (2002). Grundregeln des Europäischen Vertragsrechts, Teile I und II. C.H. Beck.
Birks, P. (2000). Three kinds of objection to discretionary remedialism. University of Western Australia Law Review, 29(1), 1–17.
Carpagnano, M. (2006). Private enforcement of competition law arrives in Italy: Analysis of the judgment of the European Court of Justice in joined cases, C-295-289/04 Manfredi. The Competition Law Review, 3(1), 47–61. https://doi.org/10.7574/clr.2006.3.1.47
Case 170/83, Hydrotherm Gerätebau v. Compact, EU:C:1984:271.
Case C-231/14 P, InnoLux Corp. v. Commission, EU:C:2015:451.
Case C-360/09, Pfleiderer AG v. Bundeskartellamt, [2011] ECR I-5161.
Case C-365/12 P, European Commission v. EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG, EU:C:2014:112.
Case C-453/99, Courage Ltd v. Bernard Crehan, [2001] ECR I-6297.
Case C-520/09 P, Arkema v. Commission, EU:C:2011:619.
Case C-536/11, Bundeswettbewerbsbehörde v. Donau Chemie AG, EU:C:2013:366.
Case C-550/07 P, Akzo Nobel Chemicals and Akcros Chemicals v. Commission, EU:C:2010:512.
Case C-557/12, Kone AG and Others v. ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG, EU:C:2014:1317.
Case T-110/03, T-150/03 and T-405/03, Sison v. Council, EU:T:2005:143.
Case T-214/13, Rainer Typke v. European Commission, EU:T:2015:448.
Case T-344/08, EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg v. Commission, EU:T:2012:242.
Case T-456/10, Timab Industries and Cie financière et de participations Roullier v. Commission, EU:T:2015:296.
Cauffman, C. (2011). The interaction of leniency programmes and actions for damages. The Competition Law Review, 7(2), 181–220. https://doi.org/10.7574/clr.2011.7.2.181
Chassaing, É. (2013). Procédures de clémence et accès aux documents: De la défiance à la conciliation? Revue Lamy de la Concurrence, (37).
Commission Staff Working Document. (2013). Impact assessment report: Damages for breach of the EU antitrust rules (SWD(2013) 203 final). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52013SC0203
Communication from the Commission. (2014). Ten years of antitrust enforcement under Regulation 1/2003: Achievements and future perspectives (COM/2014/0453). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52014DC0453
Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Australia). https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2011C00003
Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2003 of 16 December 2002 on the implementation of the rules of competition laid down in Articles 81 and 82 of the Treaty. Official Journal of the European Union, L 1, 1–25. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32003R0001
Davis, J. P., & Lande, R. H. (2012). Towards an empirical and theoretical assessment of private antitrust enforcement (University of San Francisco Law Research Paper No. 17). https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2144136
Denozza, F., & Toffoletti, L. (2009). Le funzioni delle azioni private nel Libro Bianco sul risarcimento del danno antitrust: Compensazione, deterrenza e coordinamento con l'azione pubblica. In B. Nascimbene & F. Rossi Dal Pozzo (Eds.), Il private enforcement delle norme sulla concorrenza. Giuffrè Editore.
Directive 2014/104/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 November 2014 on certain rules governing actions for damages under national law for infringements of the competition law. Official Journal of the European Union, L 349, 1–19. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32014L0104
Emmerich, V. (2012). Kartellrecht (12. baskı). C.H. Beck.
Frąckowiak, J., & Stefanicki, R. (2011). Consumer law – prospective and actual standards, including the guarantees set out by procedural law. In Consumer protection in the Polish law in view of effet utile concept. University of Wrocław.
Gillen, M. R. (2011). The Thai Trust for Transactions in Capital Market Act and common law trusts compared. Selected Research Papers.
Guirguis, A., & McCowan, M. (2014). Australia. In C. A. Varney (Ed.), The cartels and leniency review. Law Business Research Ltd.
ICN Cartels Working Group. (2010). Anti-cartel enforcement manual: Digital evidence gathering. https://www.fne.gob.cl/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/ICN-2010-Anti-Cartel-Enforcement-Manual-Chapter-3-Digital-Evidence-Gathering.pdf
Joined Cases C-295/04 to C-298/04, Vincenzo Manfredi v. Lloyd Adriatico Assicurazioni SpA, [2006] ECR I-6619.
Lenaerts, K., Maselis, I., & Gutman, K. (2014). EU procedural law. Oxford University Press.
Lianos, I. (2011). Competition law remedies: In search of a theory (Law and Governance in Europe Working Paper Series 14). Centre for Law and Governance in Europe.
Opinion of Advocate General Szpunar delivered on 3 July 2014 in Case C-302/13, flyLAL-Lithuanian Airlines. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:62013CC0302
Piszcz, A. (2013). Sankcje w polskim prawie antymonopolowym [Sanctions in the Polish antimonopoly law]. Temida 2.
Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on certain rules governing actions for damages (2013). COM(2013) 404 final. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2013:0404:FIN:EN:PDF
Report from the Commission to the European Parliament. (2014). Report on competition policy 2013 (COM(2014) 249 final). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52014DC0249
Report on Public Access to Documents for the Years 2011-2013 (2014). 2013/2155(INI), A7-0148/2014. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/publications/rapports_annuels/2013/P9_AR(2013)ATD_RO.pdf
Report on Competition Policy 2014 (2015). COM(2015) 247 final. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52015DC0247
Resolution of 27 February 2014 on the situation of fundamental rights in the European Union (2014). 2013/2078(INI). https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-7-2014-0173_EN.pdf
Smits, C., & Waelbroeck, D. (2006). Le droit de la concurrence et les droits fondamentaux. In Les droits de l’homme dans les politiques de l’Union européenne. Larcier.
Stadler, A. (2007). Collective action as an efficient means for the enforcement of European competition law. In J. Basedow (Ed.), Private enforcement of EC competition law. Kluwer Law International.
Stankiewicz, R. (2012). The scope of application of the provisions of the Administrative Procedure Code in competition enforcement proceedings. Yearbook of Antitrust and Regulatory Studies, 5(6), 117–134.
Stefanicki, R. (2014). Prywatnoprawne środki dochodzenia roszczeń z tytułu naruszenia reguł konkurencji [Private enforcement means for breach of competition law]. Wolters Kluwer.
Szpunar, M. (2008). Odpowiedzialność podmiotu prywatnego z tytułu naruszenia prawa unijnego [Responsibility of a private entity for breach of Community law]. Wolters Kluwer.
Vandenborre, I., & Goetz, T. (2013). EU competition law procedural issues. Journal of European Competition Law & Practice, 4(6), 510–518. https://doi.org/10.1093/jeclap/lpt057
Waelbroeck, D., Slater, D., & Even-Shoshan, G. (2004). Study on the conditions of claims for damages in case of infringement of EC competition rules. https://ec.europa.eu/competition/antitrust/actionsdamages/study.pdf
Walle, S. V. (2013). Private antitrust litigation in the European Union and Japan: A comparative perspective. Maklu Publishers.
Wils, W. P. J. (2003). Should private antitrust enforcement be encouraged in Europe? World Competition: Law and Economics Review, 26(3), 473–488. https://doi.org/10.54648/woco2003027
Zimmer, D. (2012). [Inh.]. In U. Immenga & E. J. Mestmäcker (Eds.), Wettbewerbsrecht (Vol. 1). C.H. Beck.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.