The Competition Chapter in the EU-Australia FTA

Abstract

The chapter deals with the consideration of competition policy in the context of the EU-Australia FTA. It first gives an overview about the reasons for and possible content of competition chapters in general. In the following, the competition chapter of the EU-Australia FTA is analysed and compared with the most common competition rules in FTAs. Moreover, it is put into a broader context by analysing other agreements of the EU and Australia regarding competition issues. Here, especially agreements with the same party, like UK or Canada, are of special interest since they could serve as a model for the future chapter on competition. Finally, conclusions are drawn if the EU-Australia FTA will be another example of the European approach in competition cooperation.