Abuse of Economic Dependence
Résumé
The abuse of economic dependence is a concept present in the competition rules of several European Union Member States. It addresses market practices that can lead to both exclusionary and exploitative abuses. Long confined to the retail sector, this concept has gained momentum with the rise of competition concerns in the online platform sector, notably with self-preferencing strategies. Whatever its field of application, the abuse of economic dependence is not about protecting competitors for their own sake but they can participate in ensuring the fairness of the competitive process. Thus, it participates in the logic promoted by the European Platform to Business Regulation of June 2019 and the Digital Markets Act of March 2022.