Competition Act 1998

Competition Act 1998
Act of Parliament
Long titleAn Act to make provision about competition and the abuse of a dominant position in the market; to confer powers in relation to investigations conducted in connection with Article 85 or 86 of the treaty establishing the European Community; to amend the Fair Trading Act 1973 in relation to information which may be required in connection with investigations under that Act; to make provision with respect to the meaning of "supply of services" in the Fair Trading Act 1973; and for connected purposes.
Citation1998 c. 41
Introduced byMargaret Beckett, President of the Board of Trade
Territorial extent United Kingdom
Dates
Royal assent9 November 1998
Status: Amended
Text of the Competition Act 1998 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

The Competition Act 1998 (c. 41) is the current major source of competition law in the United Kingdom, along with the Enterprise Act 2002. The act provides an updated framework for identifying and dealing with restrictive business practices and abuse of a dominant market position.

One of the main purposes of this act was to harmonise the UK with EU competition policy, with Chapter I and II of the act mirroring the content of Articles 81 and 82 of the Treaty of Amsterdam (formally Articles 85 and 86 of the Treaty of Rome).[1][2][3]

  1. ^ Townley, The Goals of Chapter I of the UK's Competition Act 1998 (the UK equivalent of Article 101 TFEU), (2010) 29 Yearbook of European Law, discusses Chapter I's goals.
  2. ^ Note: Since these two main provisions on EU competition law (Arts 81 & 22) were Treaty Articles and thus inevitably binding on Member States, it is curious then that the UK Government chose to replicate the EU Treaty provisions into a UK statute. Both EU Treaty Articles and EU Regulations require no further legislative implementation by Member States.
  3. ^ Note: Arts 81 & 81 have since been renumbered as Arts 101 & 102