On the Private Enforcemenl of EU Competition Law

Competition Law can be enforced by public authority or by private litigant. The private enforcement of EU Competition Law has been underdeveloped for a long time owing to uncertain legal base and exclusive control over granting exemption by EU Commission. Although ECJ, EU Commission and Council tried their best to improve this situation, the result was not up to satisfactory. In order to further promote private enforcement of EU Competition Law and to develop competition culture within the EU, the Commission published a Green Paper on private enforcement of Competition Law recently. The paper points out the main obstacles and problems in the enforcement, and expresses a strong will to foster private enforcement. Therefore, we have every reason to believe that private enforcement of Competition Law could develop steadily in the EU.