On January 15, 2015, the Polish Competition Law Association held a workshop on “Oligopoly markets in EU and Polish competition law”.
The very features of oligopolistic markets make it difficult for the authorities to control them effectively with current competition law tools. A small number of undertakings operating in a given market where their high market shares, symmetry, similar cost structure and, at the same time, the considerable transparency of the market itself or high entry barriers are just some of many typical features of an oligopoly which may potentially lead to businesses taking actions which prevent, limit or hinder competition.
The goal of the workshop was to familiarize participants with the approach taken by the European Commission and the Court of Justice in this type of market. During the workshop the experience of the Chairperson of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection and the Polish courts in this field were also presented.
The lecture was delivered by Jan Szczodrowski, Doctor of Laws, and graduate of EU law studies (LL.M.) at the College of Europe in Bruges and the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. Mr. Szczodrowski is an Official at the European Commission Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content & Technology (CNECT), copyrights law division. A former lecturer at the Natolin European Centre and Collegium Civitas, Mr. Szczodrowski has worked for the Committee for European Integration Office and has authored various publications on EU law.
Please take a moment to have a look at the pictures from the meeting.