Merger control in the European Economic Community

The present thesis analyzes merger control in the European Economic Community, a topical domain on the eve of the completion of the internal market. After a definition according to three approaches (traditional, geographical, quantitative), the provisions of the Rome Treaty on competition law (articles 85 and 86) are elaborated upon, to underline the reinforcement of the Commission's control powers since the entry into force of Council Regulation N$ sp circ$4064/89, in September 1990. The air transport industry has been chosen to illustrate the concept of a priori control of concentrations and its modalities of application in different economic policies.Jurisprudence and various regulations have promoted the application of EEC competition law to the air transport industry, and have contributed recently to the emergence of a common policy in this field. The Aerospatiale/de Havilland decision constitutes the first dismissal of a concentration notification, since the entry into force of the new provisions. It confirms the wide scope of the Commission's powers in the control of competition