Consumer Autonomy and Vertical Agreements

Studied law at the University of Mannheim, graduating in 2016; Policy Officer at the European Commission's Directorate General for Competition in the Directorate for Policy and Strategy.

• Introduction§ 1 Research questions§ 2 Outline§ 3 Terminology§ 4 Basics of behavioural economicsChapter 1: Treatment of vertical agreements under EU competition law and economic evaluation§ 1 Current assessment of vertical agreements under EU competition law§ 2 Economic evaluation of the EU's current rules on vertical agreements, particularly on online distribution§ 3 A comparative perspective: vertical agreements under US law§ 4 ConclusionChapter 2: A different explanation for the EU's stance on vertical agreements: consumer autonomy?§ 1 Consumer autonomy as an argumentative force behind the EU's approach to vertical agreements§ 2 Consumer autonomy as a goal of EU competition law§ 3 ConclusionChapter 3: Making autonomy workable in the context of vertical agreements§ 1 How can vertical agreements influence consumer decisions?§ 2 When do vertical agreements restrict competition based on consumer autonomy?§ 3 Implications for EU competition law§ 4 ConclusionSummary