Browse Hierarchy SOLM054: International Competition Law

Competition law has witnessed an impressive increase in significance and geographical scope during the last two decades or so. From the situation which existed in the 1980s - when there were only a few systems of competition law in the world ¿ we have moved to a new one where currently there are about 120 jurisdictions in which some form of competition law has been introduced and 30 others seeking to develop the process. It is anticipated that this remarkable geographical expansion of the law will increase in the future. With this unprecedented increase in significance and remarkable geographical expansion of the law (as well as other significant developments such as the process of globalisation), it has become important to examine the role and place of competition law and policy in a globalised economy. The course will aim at such an examination. The course is designed to include 'international' elements (comparative elements will then be addressed in the Comparative Competition Law course in semester 2), looking at, among other things, issues such as, the process of internationalisation of competition law and policy; the role of international organisations and multinational enterprises (MNEs) in this process; the extraterritorial reach of the competition rules of the EU, the USA and those of other jurisdictions; and the relationship between competition and trade policy.