Grey or Green Giants? Sustainability and (Exclusionary Abuse of) Dominance under Article 102 TFEU
The intersection of sustainability and competition law has gained increasing attention in recent years—particularly in the context of agreements, as evidenced by the new Horizontal Co-operation Guidelines from the European Commission,1 but also in discussions around merger control.2 However, one area remains underexplored: the role of… Read More
Cost–benefit analyses for public policy
Cost–benefit analyses (CBA) are commonly applied to public infrastructure projects where there is a degree of certainty about the physical output of the project and the consequent societal benefits. CBA can also be applied to proposed policy and regulatory changes, but there is less clarity about the outcomes and the… Read More
Spatial planning: the good, the bad and the needy
Unbalanced regional development is a common economic concern. It arises from ‘clustering’ of companies and resources, compounded by higher benefit-to-cost ratios for infrastructure projects in well developed regions. Government efforts to redress this balance have had mixed success. Dr Rupert Booth, Senior Adviser, proposes a practical programme to develop… Read More
Sustainable Divergence between the UK and the EU—the Fair Share Principle in Practice
As sustainability continues to grow in importance for businesses, regulators are starting to provide guidance on how competition law applies to ‘green agreements’. In our recent article, written alongside Linklaters, we examine how the European Commission and the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) are shaping their frameworks to account… Read More
Reducing or removing CO2 emissions: Can offsets make the difference?
As countries and corporates focus on reducing emissions in line with European net zero targets up to 2050, in this article, Oxera Partner Sir Philip Lowe examines the use of offsets, particularly in hard-to-abate segments of the economy. Oxera’s research on… Read More
Water regulation in Italy: considerations on the new MTI-4
Ahead of the new regulatory period for the integrated water service, in December 2023, ARERA (Autorità di Regolazione per Energia Reti e Ambiente) published the decision setting the new regulatory framework for Italian water networks, the so-called MTI-4. According to the latest evidence, the regulation contributed to improve the outcomes… Read More
Green agreements: Oxera’s perspective on the new UK guidelines
The CMA has launched its Green Agreements Guidance to help businesses co-operate on environmental goals. This new guidance will help businesses understand how they can collaborate on environmental sustainability goals while adhering to the law.1 Oxera welcomed the opportunity provided by the CMA to comment on the draft… Read More
Rethinking HS2
On 4 October 2023, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed that Phase 2 of High Speed Two (HS2) would not go ahead.1 Was this the right call? How do we make the most of where we are now? To answer these questions, we need to understand why HS2 was… Read More
The Oxera Energy Model: price coupling in the European energy mix
Oxera’s new Energy Model enables detailed analysis of a range of future scenarios involving the energy generation mix in Europe. The interactive map below showcases one example relating to price coupling. (For an introduction to this topic, see Oxera’s Agenda article from April 2023.)… Read More
Carbon prices: working together or pulling apart?
Carbon pricing is often recommended by economists as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, in practice, several different carbon prices are used in the aviation sector. What are each of these prices, and why do they differ? And are carbon markets even working correctly? Given the unfolding… Read More