The EC Merger Regulation: Substantive Issues

The economic justification for merger control. The SIEC test and other legal and methodological issues. Market definition. Market shares and concentration levels. The counterfactual. Market operation. Horizontal mergers: non-coordinated effects. Coordinated effects. Loss of potential competition and mergers in neighbouring markets. The merged group s buyer power. Vertical issues. Conglomerate issues. Coordination in joint ventures. Competition from actual rivals. Countervailing buyer power. New entry. The failing firm defence. Efficiency gains. Other evidence of the likely effects of the merger on consumers. Remedies.