Report from the Commission on competition policy 2011. Commission staff working document accompanying the report

Abstract

EU competition policy aims at achieving three main objectives: i) protecting competition on the market as a means of enhancing consumer welfare, ii) supporting growth, jobs and the competitiveness of the EU economy and iii) fostering a competition culture. Those objectives are an important part of the wider general objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. The Strategy sets out concrete targets to be achieved within the next decade in areas such as employment, education, energy use and innovation, in order to overcome the impact of the financial crisis and put Europe back on track for economic growth. Enforcement actions and advocacy efforts by the Commission and the Member States have to be considered together for the overall achievement of thoseobjectives. A weaker competition framework would have a negative impact on growth. Strong competition policy and enforcement through all instruments – the control of State aid, antitrust and merger control – are essential to rebuilding the economy. In times of economic hardship, there may be calls to relax the competition rules to accommodate short-term concerns encountered by businesses. Such relaxation would have prevented healthy recovery. So it is essential that competition rules be fully maintained, even in the current economic context.