The subject of my master's thesis is the abuse of a dominant position in the energy sector. The abuse of a dominant position in the European Union is regulated by the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which stipulates that any abuse by one or more undertakings of a dominant position within the internal market or in a substantial part of it shall be prohibited as incompatible with the internal market in so far as it may affect trade between Member States.
The application of competition law rules in the European energy sector is a very difficult task, especially due to the characteristics of energy networks, where certain actions of economic players within these networks are based on a natural monopoly. Specific characteristics of the electricity and natural gas sectors also create headaches in determining the relevant product and geographic market.
The aim of the master's thesis at hand is to extract the specific characteristics of the application of competition law provisions in the energy sector. Thesis also focuses on identifying the relevant product and geographic market in the energy sector and lastly analyses how the European Union faces various forms of abuse of dominance in the energy sector.
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