When does a discount become deceptive? An economic framework for the regulation of reference pricing
The use of ‘reference’ pricing—where a previous (or future) ‘was’ price is displayed alongside the current ‘now’ price to indicate a discount for customers—is a common feature across digital and physical markets. In supermarkets, retailers commonly advertise a headline Recommended Retail Price (RRP), or ‘was’ price, alongside the current… Read More
Oxera AI policy map – June 2026
For this fourth edition of the AI Policy Map,1 we have updated our database that tracks key national and supranational AI policy developments across the European Economic Area (EEA) and the UK. This curated collection brings together legal texts, strategy documents and other influential publications relevant to… Read More
The reality gap: testing AI from compliance to enforcement
Companies and regulators often operate with distinct immediate objectives, e.g. profit maximisation versus consumer protection. Yet, as artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly permeates the economy, both sides face a shared challenge: navigating the opacity of complex algorithms. For companies, the primary imperative is risk management. A newly deployed algorithm… Read More
Decoding the Digital Networks Act: the future of the EU electronic communications and digital infrastructure regulatory framework
On 21 January 2026 the European Commission published the long-awaited draft of its Digital Networks Act (DNA)—the proposed new regulation that seeks to ‘modernise, simplify and harmonise EU rules on connectivity networks’.1 As the draft is now being reviewed by the European Parliament and the Council, representing… Read More
Oxera AI Policy Map – January 2026
For this third edition of the AI Policy Map,1 we have updated our database that tracks key national and supranational AI policy developments across the European Economic Area (EEA) and the UK. This curated collection brings together legal texts, strategy documents and other influential publications relevant to… Read More
The new electronic communications and digital infrastructure regulatory framework: what does the economic evidence say? (Part 2 of 2)
On Thursday 23 October in Brussels, Oxera hosted a roundtable discussion entitled ‘The new electronic communications and digital infrastructure regulatory framework: what does the economic evidence say?’. In the second of a two-part series, we share insights from this productive debate. The discussion took place in the context… Read More
The new electronic communications and digital infrastructure regulatory framework: what does the economic evidence say? (Part 1 of 2)
On Thursday 23 October in Brussels, Oxera hosted a roundtable discussion entitled ‘The new electronic communications and digital infrastructure regulatory framework: what does the economic evidence say?’. In the first of a two-part series, we share insights from this productive debate. The discussion took place in the context… Read More
Justice for hire? Opportunities and challenges in third-party litigation funding in competition collective actions
In many jurisdictions, collective actions in competition law have become an important route for consumers and businesses to seek redress. Yet these cases are costly and complex. Third-party litigation funding (TPLF) has emerged as a central mechanism for making them viable. Recent UK experience provides important lessons on… Read More
Oxera AI policy map – October 2025
Drawing on Oxera’s combined expertise in digital policy and regulation, as well as in analytics, data science and AI, we have developed a database that tracks key national and supranational AI policy developments across the European Economic Area (EEA) and the UK. This curated collection brings together legal texts,… Read More
The role of regulation in spurring innovation and growth in the EU and the UK
Since the 2008 financial crisis, both the EU and the UK have experienced sustained periods of low growth and weak productivity. The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated these trends, and their share of global GDP has continued to decline, especially relative to the US and emerging economies. This has provoked… Read More