Following the end of the Cold War and the subsequent emergence of market-oriented economies, interest in Competition law has been growing in numerous states around the globe. Despite the enduring economic and financial crisis affecting most major economies, competition law is expanding at state level through the emergence of competition law systems, usually drawing extensively on the design of their counterparts in major competition jurisdictions. This development coincides with an ongoing discussion about the creation, enhancement or consolidation of a so-called “global” competition institutional framework. The paper seeks to assess current concepts and perceptions of a global competition law taking into account insights gained from the enduring economic and financial crisis. It seeks to contextualise the discussion both from an institutional point of view as well as from a substantive legal point of view. It will finally attempt to sketch certain potential implications for both law and policy design.
