PhD awarded to Daniel Mândrescu
On 5 October 2022, Daniel Mândrescu successfully defended his dissertation entitled ‘The application of EU antitrust law to (dominant) online platforms’.
Daniel’s thesis concerns a study of the legal challenges that arise in the application process of EU antitrust law to digital platforms, with a specific focus on the application of Article 102 TFEU. The dissertation explores how the distinguishing economic and technical characteristics of online platforms interact with the current framework of EU antitrust law, which was developed at a time when such developments were not foreseen. In this regard, the thesis explores the legal implications of such distinguishing characteristics of online platforms, and offers suggestions and solutions to ensure the applicability of the current EU antitrust framework to such players.
The thesis, which is article based, was written under the supervision of Professor Tom Ottervanger and Dr Ben Van Rompuy and consists of six published articles and a supplementary chapter:
- Applying EU competition law to online platforms: the road ahead – Part 1 (2017) 38(8) European Competition Law Review 353.
- Applying EU competition law to online platforms: the road ahead – Part 2 (2017) 38(9) European Competition Law Review 410.
- Applying (EU) Competition Law to Online Platforms: Reflections on the Definition of the Relevant Market(s) (2018) 41(3) World Competition (2018) 453.
- The SSNIP Test and Zero-pricing Strategies: Considerations for Online Platforms (2018) 2(4) CoRe: European Competition and Regulatory Review 244.
- Tying and Bundling by online platforms- Distinguishing between lawful expansion strategies and anti-competitive practices (2021) 40 Computer Law and Security Review.
- Abusive pricing practices by online platforms: a framework review of Art. 102 TFEU for future cases (2022) Journal of Antitrust Enforcement.
- Designing remedies for abuses of dominance by online platforms (2021).