Companies today must consider and comply with competition law in their daily business management. The financial and reputational risks for breaching such rules are severe and the success of many merger and acquisition projects depends very much on it. While competition law rules become increasingly sophisticated, business people are still expected to comply with it. Rather than giving a theoretical approach that can be found in a typical practitioner’s book or textbook, «Day-to-Day competition law: a practical guide for businesses» is genuinely a practical book.

The interaction between theory and practice is the main feature of the book. Major competition law issues are explained in a jargon-free manner and summarized in a nutshell at the end of each chapter. Not only will the reader gain an understanding of competition law rules, but also will gain a better understanding on how a company can behave and what to do if it is subject to an investigation by the competition authorities. This practical guidance may serve as a platform for designing internal in-house rules governing behaviour in relation to competition law, and may also trigger a revision of such rules in light of some of the issues raised by the authors. While a particular focus is drawn on the EU – as the EU competition law system is replicated in a large number of countries around the world – reference to differing rules and other key jurisdictions such as the United States is also made.

This book is written to appeal to business people, as well as non-specialized in-house lawyers, and all those who wish to understand competition law in a clear and practical way. The authors’ experience in the field of competition law ranges from leading investigations on behalf of competition authorities to applying competition law in a major global company in its daily activities, and advising multinational clients of one of the world’s leading law firms. It is this professional insight which provides the reader with an invaluable inside view of all aspects of competition law, from the way authorities think to the impacts competition law has on businesses.