Digital markets in the EU

The opportunities presented by the internet have changed the way in which businesses conduct their commercial practices. Some businesses have emerged over the years due to the opportunities created by the digital era, while others have adapted their business models to cope with the new challenges of the ‘digital economy’. Digital markets are dynamic in nature and exhibit features which set them apart from the ‘traditional economy’: for example, players active in such markets are driven by the ‘winner takes all’ mirage, while the consumers of digital products or services often pay for their purchases by ‘disclosing their personal data’. Digitalisation is thus a phenomenon that has and will very likely continue to change our lives, regardless of the roles one may play in the digital markets context. The developments in the digital era occur at a mindboggling pace. Therefore, policymakers, legislators, and law enforcers need to keep up to date with these developments. This book examines some of the economic law challenges which the digitalisation of our society raises for policymakers and law enforcers. In this respect, both recent regulatory and enforcement (EU and domestic) initiatives are discussed. The common thread which ties this book’s contributions together relates to the question of whether we need regulation, or whether the market, and thus the current legal framework(s), are suitable for tackling the challenges of the digital era. This volume in the Radboud Economic Law Series is based on the contributions presented at the second Radboud Economic Law Conference, held at Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands, on 9 June 2017.