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
Klobuchar Unveils Bill to Strengthen Court Oversight of Antitrust Settlements
Mar 17, 2026 by
CPI
More Than 20 States Now Have Privacy Laws. Is Your Company Keeping Up?
Mar 17, 2026 by
CPI
Google Seeks to Buy Liquid Cooling Technology Amid AI Data Centre Boom
Mar 17, 2026 by
CPI
Mastercard to Acquire BVNK in $1.8 Billion Deal to Expand Stablecoin Capabilities
Mar 17, 2026 by
CPI
SEC Enforcement Chief Margaret Ryan Steps Down After Six Months
Mar 16, 2026 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Behavioral Economics
Feb 22, 2026 by
CPI
Behavioral Antitrust in 2026
Feb 22, 2026 by
Maurice Stucke
Behavioral Economics in Competition Policy: Going Beyond Inertia and Framing Effects
Feb 22, 2026 by
Annemieke Tuinstra & Richard May
Agreeing to Disagree in Antitrust
Feb 22, 2026 by
Jorge Padilla
Recognizing What’s Around the Corner: Merger Control, Capabilities, and the New Nature of Potential Competition
Feb 22, 2026 by
Magdalena Kuyterink & David J. Teece