Review of the market definition notice for the purposes of EU Competition Law

Market definition is an important part of EU competition law enforcement that contributes to the well-functioning of markets, in the interests of European consumers as the ultimate beneficiaries of this law. This concerns both the effect on consumers of companies’ conduct on the market (antitrust cases) or the effect of one company buying up another (mergers).

It is therefore important that the approach set out in the Market Definition Notice reflects the current nature of markets and includes up to date methodologies for defining markets, and accurately recognises how consumers behave in them. Having a fit for purpose tool is a must in order to tackle effectively competition analysis and enforcement in today’s markets, leading ultimately to a better protection of consumers against anticompetitive harms.