Limits and Control of Competition with a View to International Harmonization

Both strands require profound legal analysis in order to further a deeper understanding of the diverse national competition statutes as well as to pave the way towards global standards for the protection of competition against restrictions. Such standards are viewed as an adequate response to the challenges posed by the globality of markets.

Against this background, the present comparative study on Limits and Control of Competition with a View to International Harmonization is of particular importance for practitioners involved in international antitrust issues and for academics interested in this area. Conceived for the XVI International Congress of Comparative Law held at Brisbane in July 2002, it encompasses fifteen national and regional reports from selected countries. Major jurisdictions such as the United States, Australia and Japan are treated alongside such "newcomers" in antitrust as Argentina and Poland. Two regional reports covering the European Community and the MERCOSUR complete the picture.

Finally, a comparative General Report allows insights into the structural and institutional particularities of the jurisdictions considered and analyzes the harmonization potential in central areas of antitrust.