This paper is a contribution to the 2nd edition of Craig and de Búrca, The Evolution of EU Law. It highlights key trends in EU law in the last ten to fifteen years, as regards the regulation of network industries and of services of general economic interest (SGEIs) more generally. Our central...

This paper contains the conclusions from the work of the Economic Impact Group (EIG), a part of the CoPECL Network of Excellence funded by the EU to prepare a Draft Common Frame of Reference (DCFR). Part 1 revisits basic principles which are central to the work of the whole group. For one,...

Most of the draft CFR (DCFR) concerns contract law, yet in Book VI the DCFR deals with another major component of private law which could not be ignored in the work of the Economic Impact Group (EIG). What the DCFR accurately if dryly defines as "noncontractual liability arising out of damage...

Why do we conduct Ex ante Evaluation of Legislation or regulation (EEL)? In the light of economic theories, this paper investigates a series of distinct and sometimes competing rationales or purposes for EEL. They include the mainstream economic rationale, i.e. improving the quality of...

Whilst there is widespread agreement in policy circles that fostering innovation should be a priority, there is far less consensus on what this entails and how to achieve this objective. This lack of consensus is echoed in the academic literature on innovation. In this paper, we seek to...

In dealing with applications for injunctive relief by the holders of FRAND-encumbered SEPs in the course of protracted licensing negotiations, any legal system faces the challenge of reaching the proper balance between predictability for stakeholders and differentiation between possible...

This report proposes some recommendations for a robust regulation of digital networks and services in the European Union. In particular, the report recommends: (i) to abandon separate legislative silos for the internet, audiovisual media and electronic communications and replace them with one...

While the traditional literature and the policy statements concerning standardization as such emphasize the benefits of standardization, the intellectual property and competition law literature and policymaking has been more critical of standardization. Intellectual property is relevant, as the...

This paper seeks to assess exactly where and how the network neutrality discussion taking place in the United States is relevant in the EU context, and thus where Europeans should be concerned. Secondly, where there is a concern, it looks to EC law to ascertain whether it already provides a...

In this article, the authors review the relationship between the Commission, the national regulatory authorities (NRAs) and national courts in light of the Commission's proposals for reform as laid out in the 2006 Review. They focus upon the Article 7 and Article 4 procedures of directive...