Competition compliance: limits to competition policy harmonisation in EU enlargement

The paper analyses the extent of and the reasons behind limits to competition policy <p> harmonisation in EU enlargement. Our focus is on vertical restraints. First, we <p> compare the relevant legal regimes towards vertical agreements in the EU and in <p> Eastern Europe. We then describe competition policy practice in all ten EU candidate <p> countries and point out differences both between East and West and among the <p> candidates. Finally, we examine a large database of inter-firm agreements in Eastern <p> Europe’s car industry and use insights from case studies of subcontracting to highlight <p> instances of non-conformity between (1) East European competition law and practice <p> and (2) EU rules and East European competition law enforcement. The conclusion <p> recommends how to improve competition policy practice, and thus compliance, postenlargement.