No description available.

The assessment of joint venture appears to be one of the most difficult issues in European competition law. A rational and well-balanced treatment is long awaited. Indeed, the artificial distinction between co-operative and concentrative joint ventures was based on complex and contradictory criteria. The European Commission applied them flexibly at the expense of predictability, damaging the legal certainty that is so necessary for these transactions. The existence of two distinct regimes, one for concentrative and one for co-operative joint ventures, with more favourable treatment for the former, explains why firms wished to subject their transactions to the Merger Regulation rather than article 81 of the Treaty. The reform of the Merger Regulation, which entered into force in 1998, modifies the boundaries between the different types of joint ventures, now focusing on structural criterion. It gives birth to a new distinction between structural and behavioural joint ventures. This simplification of the qualification phase, however, raises new questions relating to the content and the relevance of the chosen criterion. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

LL.M. / Modern competition occurs in a global market and straddles various state borders. This international dimension of competition law (antitrust law) subsequently raises concerns whether one state can apply its competition rules extraterritorially against an undertaking in another country, when the latter behaves in an anti-competitive manner that, for example, have adverse effects in the territory of the former. In the context of such extraterritorial enforcement, the concept of the Effects doctrine as created and developed in the antitrust jurisprudence of the United States plays an important role. In this dissertation the issue of extraterritorial antitrust jurisdiction is investigated in an attempt to suggest a suitable basis for assertion of such jurisdiction. The evolution of the Effects doctrine in the United States and its further development and qualification in American Antitrust jurisprudence is addressed as well as its interrelation with the concept of international comity. Thereafter the basis for assertion of extraterritorial antitrust jurisdiction by the European Community is investigated. In this regard the long favoured Single Economic Entity Theory is addressed as well as the development of a form of Effects doctrine by the European Commission which eventually culminated in acceptance of an “Effects/Implementa-tion doctrine” by the European Court of Justice in the Wood Pulp case. It should however be noted that the scope of the extraterritorial application of the competition rules of the European Community is extended by the EC Merger Control Regulation 139/2004. Thus, the jurisdictional range of the Merger Control Regulation is considered in chapter 4. It is submitted that although the Effects doctrine is competent as sole basis for exercising extraterritorial antitrust jurisdiction, it has various disadvantages, inter alia that it evokes conflict between states due to differences in competition law and policy and various states interests. Consequently co-operation on a bilateral level is investigated in chapter 5 as a possible solution. Finally, the South African stance on the extraterritorial enforcement of its Competition Act 89 of 1998 is investigated in chapter 6 and certain observations and suggestions are made for future exercise of extraterritorial antitrust jurisdiction.

No description available.

University of Macau / Faculty of Law

The international civil aviation system is currently going through a transitional phase. Deregulation and liberalization of air transport services and privatisation of certain airlines have contributed to the modification of the aviation landscape. In this context, airline alliances play a crucial role. Both the US and EC authorities have been supportive of airline alliances because they believe that alliances have the potential to increase competition and to provide the consumers with benefits. / The first part of this thesis intends to provide economic and historical background to highlight the reasons for the multiplication of alliances, as well as the political and economic circumstances under which competition authorities assess alliances. The second part of this thesis is meant to determine which legal regime is applied to transatlantic alliances, and whether alliances are assessed like agreements among companies in any other business sector. The third part focuses more specifically on the antitrust control of the Sky Team alliance which occurs in the context of the EU/US Open skies agreement.

No description available.

La thèse est une collection de cinq articles académiques, chacun apportant une contribution originale à la connaissance et à la recherche scientifique dans le domaine de l’économie de l’imposition du capital et des sociétés. Les travaux empiriques de Gaëtan Nicodème se situent dans le contexte de la concurrence fiscale en Europe.<p><p>Le premier chapitre ‘Corporate Tax Competition and Coordination in the European Union: What do we know? Where do we stand? (Publié dans International Taxation Handbook) revisite la problématique de la concurrence fiscale dans l’Union Européenne, discute la littérature économique théorique et empirique sur la question et analyse les réponses politiques qui y sont apportées. Après avoir remis la problématique dans son contexte institutionnel, l’auteur compare les résultats provenant de la littérature avec les caractéristiques propres à l’Union Européenne, notamment en termes de l’étendue et des conséquences de la concurrence fiscale. Il passe ensuite en revue les questions théoriques et de mise en œuvre pratique que soulèvent une possible harmonisation et consolidation des bases fiscales de l’impôt des sociétés en Europe. Tout en gardant à l’esprit la diversité des solutions qui existent dans la mise en œuvre, il montre que l’harmonisation des bases fiscales est à même de générer des gains économiques. Le deuxième chapitre ‘Comparing Effective Corporate Tax Rates’ (à paraître dans Frontiers in Finance and Economics) passe en revue les méthodes de calcul de taux effectifs de l’impôt des sociétés. Le mérite de la contribution est non seulement d’offrir une typologie des ces taux mais également de montrer que leurs résultats sont très différents selon la méthode utilisée, que ce soit en niveau ou en classement des pays. L’auteur calcule également ces taux pour un échantillon de pays Européens avec une désagrégation sectorielle. Le troisième chapitre ‘Do Large Companies have Lower Effective Corporate Tax rates ?A European Survey’ utilise ces méthodes pour étudier s’il existe un lien entre les taux effectifs et la taille des entreprises. Utilisant de multiples méthodes d’estimation, l’auteur trouve un lien robuste et négatif entre le nombre d’employés et le taux effectif d’imposition des entreprises. Le quatrième chapitre ‘Foreign Ownership and Corporate Income Taxation :an Empirical Evaluation’ (co-auteur H. Huizinga et publié dans European Economic Review) constitue la première évaluation empirique pour l’Europe des théories d’exportation fiscale. Lorsque la mobilité du capital est imparfaite et que celui-ci est détenu par des actionnaires étrangers, les Etats ont un incitant à hausser la fiscalité pour exporter la charge fiscale sur ces actionnaires. L’étude empirique trouve une relation positive robuste entre le degré d’actionnariat étranger et la charge fiscale moyenne, validant ces théories. Le cinquième et dernier chapitre ‘Are International Deposits Tax Driven ?(Co-auteur H. Huizinga et publié dans Journal of Public Economics) analyse l’impact de l’imposition de l’épargne et de la fortune ainsi que de l’échange d’informations fiscales sur les dépôts bancaires internationaux. Utilisant des données bilatérales confidentielles de la BRI, l’étude montre que ces variables fiscales ont un impact sur ces dépôts, suggérant qu’ils sont en partie effectués pour éluder l’impôt.<p> / Doctorat en Sciences économiques et de gestion / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

In South Africa compliance with competition law has become a major concern for firms that achieve and maintain certain levels of success and growth in the market, as their actions are often a source of complaints and litigation by rivals and competition authorities. With substantial financial penalties often levied against them for a variety of conduct deemed to constitute an abuse of their market position, dominant firms must constantly be aware of the likely impact of their business strategies and actions on both rivals and consumers. What were once thought to be normal and economically sound business practices and decisions, such as cutting prices to attract customers, have now acquired new meanings, with devastating consequences for dominant firms. So, are dominant firms under attack from competition law? In this study I aim to determine this. I track the historical development of competition law in three jurisdictions: South Africa, America, and the EU, with the aim of identifying traces, if any, of hostility towards dominant firms in the origins of competition law. I further investigate whether the formulation and enforcement of certain aspects of existing abuse of dominance provisions manifest as hostility towards dominant firms. While acknowledging the important role that competition law enforcement plays in promoting competition and enhancing consumer welfare, I conclude that significant unjustified economic and legal prejudice is suffered by dominant firms as a result of the way in which certain abuse of dominance provisions have been formulated and applied. I also offer appropriate recommendations. / Mercantile Law / LL. D.