Monopolies and oligopolies in 21st century Europe

Monopolies and oligopolies have for many years been a persistent fact of life in the European economy. The problem is by no means peculiar to
this part of the world, and is repeated everywhere a market economy is in place. In any case, whether because of the characteristics of certain
sectors of activity, or because of the decisions taken by the governments of the day, the truth is that many markets in Europe have traditionally been submitted to the power of large corporations, the interests of which have often diverged from those of the societies in which they operate.

Today, large corporations continue to dominate certain markets, some new and some traditional, although the way they hold this power has changed over time, with the degree of regulation, and ultimately the structure of the markets themselves.

Market power was previously exercised in a more direct and undisguised way, often in an environment lacking regulation. Today on the other hand, the mechanisms are much more subtle, to the point that consumers are often not fully aware of the extent to which their decisions are not strictly their own but are, to the contrary, conditioned and guided by others’ interests.

 . . .

This publication is financially supported by the European Parliament. The European Parliament is not liable for the content of the publication or the opinions of the authors.

. . .

Header photo by Simone Hutsch on Unsplash

. . .

Thank you for following our activities over the past few years. We hope our updates have been useful to you. We would like to keep informing you about upcoming events, new publications, summer schools, and job vacancies. Subscribe to our newsletter to hear from us in your inbox.