The Road to the Commission’s White Paper for Damages Actions: Where We Came From
Assimakis Komninos, Nov 01, 2008
The European Commission´s April 2008 White Paper on Damages Actions for Antitrust Violations is a groundbreaking development. It marks the establishment of a system of private antitrust enforcement system in Europe, which, however, does not imitate the U.S. example but is rather European in its conception, origins, and main parameters. To help understand the White Paper proposals, it is imperative to review its origins (i.e., where we came from). This article aims at presenting the jurisprudential developments in Europe that created the right atmosphere for the White Paper to come in existence. The review of these developments explains the main qualities and basic premises of the White Paper. In particular, it explains the fundamental choice to depart from the U.S. solution and instead opt for allowing both offensive and defensive passing-on.
Featured News
New York Puts Businesses on Notice for Algorithmic Pricing
Mar 19, 2026 by
CPI
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Expands US Antitrust Team with New Partner Hire
Mar 19, 2026 by
CPI
Mexico Antitrust Authority Fines Oxygen Suppliers Over Exclusive Contracts
Mar 19, 2026 by
CPI
EU Cloud Group Pushes for Halt to Broadcom VMware Changes
Mar 19, 2026 by
CPI
Sen. Blackburn Releases Discussion Draft of Bill to Set Federal ‘Framework’ for AI Policy
Mar 19, 2026 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Data-Driven Competition
Mar 19, 2026 by
CPI
Data-Driven Competition: Implications For Enforcement and Merger Control
Mar 19, 2026 by
Alexandre de Corniere & Greg Taylor
From Tipping to Trustees: Why Data-Driven Markets Require Institutional Design, Not Optimization
Mar 19, 2026 by
Jens Prüfer & Paul de Bijl
Data Barriers to Entry: What We’ve Learned About Spotting Them and What We Still Don’t Know About Solutions
Mar 19, 2026 by
Bruno Carballa-Smichowski
When the Perfect Is the Enemy of the Good: Price Discrimination, Affordability, Precarity and Market Dynamism
Mar 19, 2026 by
Dan Ciuriak