EU Competition Law
The purpose of the course EU Competition Law is to give students an overview of EU rules in competition law and convey specialised knowledge about the application of the rules in specific areas with regard to the underlying economic principles and the political context.

The course EU Competition Law is given within the framework of the one-year master programme in European Economic Law at the Department of Law, Stockholm University. The course is also given as an elective course within the framework of the law program.
Read more about the Master of Laws in European Economic Law
This course is the second course in the Master of Laws Programme in European Economic Law. It is one of several elective specialisation courses. The course focuses on the fundamental provisions in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union concerning ensuring effective competition in the EU. The legal provisions are studied from an economic and comparative perspective. The course teaches how the competition rules are applied in specific areas, e.g., media and telecommunications. Particular attention is paid to the interplay between the competition rules and intellectual property law. The course makes students aware of current developments in related areas, e.g., the EU rules regarding state aid and public procurement. The EU procedural rules that ensure the effective enforcement of competition law are studied in addition to substantive law provisions and principles. The course highlights the significance of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and of the European Convention on Human Rights.
In relation to the introductory compulsory course in the Master programme, this course provides deepening in substantive and methodological respects. It offers deeper insights into the constitutional standing of competition law within the EU legal order, and the connection between competition law and Internal Market law. At the same time, students are given the opportunity to broaden their knowledge in an important area of European economic law. The course also aims to prepare students for their Master thesis project with a focus on the requirements for academic writing as well as the treatment of choice of methodology and research questions. The student shall prepare for the Master thesis project by writing during the course a memorandum that identifies relevant research questions. In accordance with the increasing degree of difficulty in the specialised courses, the requirements for methodological awareness and scholarly accuracy are increased at the same time as the subject choice for the Master thesis project begins to be formulated in step with the more advanced knowledge of methods.
-
Course structure
Follow the link below to read more about the course details.
Syllabus - EU Competition LawSyllabus (222 Kb)
Teaching format
Instruction consists of 10 weeks of full-time studies. It is structured as follows:
- A series of lectures on central parts of EU competition law, as well as on certain selected areas of EU competition law.
- Teacher-led tutorials in smaller groups, that link to the lectures and aim to improve understanding as well as prepare students for the subsequent seminars.
- Interactive seminars on selected subjects in EU competition law, with a focus on the application of EU competition law rules in certain markets, and particularly on the interaction between competition law and intellectual property law. The students work with analysis of caselaw from the Court of Justice of the European Union as well as other material from relevant competition law and economic theory. The students prepare written and oral assignments that involve application, investigation and argumentation and present the results during seminars, both individually and as a group.
- A concluding seminar where students present a shorter written essay memorandum with research in EU competition law. The students also serves as discussant ("opponent") for another course participant's essay memorandum.
Seminars/workshops will also be organized during the course to help students with the preparation of their essay memorandum, with emphasis on the choice and delimitation of appropriately defined research questions, issues of theory and methods, and academic requirements regarding use of source material and proper citation of sources. The language of instruction is English.
Assessment
Examination is based on active participation in the seminars, the essay memorandum and its oral presentation and serving as a discussant at a seminar, as well as through a written examination.
-
Schedule
The schedule will be available no later than one month before the start of the course. We do not recommend print-outs as changes can occur. At the start of the course, your department will advise where you can find your schedule during the course. -
Course literature
Note that the course literature can be changed up to two months before the start of the course.
Literature autumn 2021
The main book for the course is:
- Jones, A., Sufrin, B., EU Competition Law, 7th edition, Oxford, 2019, 514 kr
More articles, texts, cases and materials are distributed as seminar or lecture materials during the course.
Other recommended literature:
- Competition Law, Richard Whish and David Bailey, 9th edition, Oxford, 2018
- EC Competition Law, Giorgio Monti, Cambridge, 2007
- The Interface Between Intellectual Property Rights and Competition Policy, Steven Anderman (ed), Cambridge, 2007
- EU Competition Law and Intellectual Property Rights (chapters 1-3), Steven Anderman and Hedvig Schmidt, OUP, 2011
- Intellectual Property and Competition Law: New Frontiers, Steven Anderman and Ariel Ezrachi (ed), Oxford, 2011
- The Economics of EC Competition Law, Bishop and Walker, 3rd edition, 2010
-
Course reports
-
More information
Read more about the education at the Department of Law at Stockholm University at our homepage.
Education - Department of Law -
Contact
Course contact:
compl@juridicum.su.se
Course coordinator:
Asnate Maddalo
Course manager:
Björn Lundquist