RGMUPRV0417.5 ECTSQ2EnglishMaster
Platforms, Market Power and Consumers
FaculteitFaculty of Law, Economics and Governance
NiveauMaster
Studiejaar2026-2027
Beschrijving
Course goals
- The students can communicate in English knowledge, ideas, solutions and conclusions, as well as the arguments, motives and considerations underlying them in an understandable, structured, correct and convincing manner;
- The students have in-depth knowledge and understanding of the core concepts and rules of EU competition and consumer law and selected provisions in the digital acquis, and their interaction with digital platforms;
- The students can independently apply and analyse EU competition law, consumer law and selected provisions in the digital acquis in relation to digital platforms;
- The students can adopt a substantiated position in the ongoing debate in academia and legal practice on an issue in EU competition law, consumer law and/or the selected provisions in the digital acquis, can analyse and put forward solutions in this regard and can communicate them in English.
Content
In this course, we explore how platforms like Google and Amazon operate in the digital economy and how their activities are regulated at EU level. We will reflect on the impact that technologies in the digital economy have on the application and effects of the law. The course also critically questions the ability of current laws to respond to the fast-paced developments in the digital economy. In doing so, we will recognise the limitations of the current laws and be able to evaluate different options for addressing these shortcomings.
Teaching focuses on major legal and societal themes, combining perspectives of the more traditional EU legal domains of competition and consumer law on the one hand and the new perspective of the digital acquis on the other. For example, how does EU law protect the functioning of the digital market, when a handful of tech giants act as gatekeepers, enabling them to exclude competitors and exploit consumers? In this respect, both Article 102 TFEU and the Digital Markets Act will be relevant. And how does EU law protect consumers against manipulation through online marketing? Does EU consumer protection law provide an adequate answer in this regard, and what is the role of the Digital Services Act in protecting consumers?
The course focuses on technological developments that are already strongly embedded in our digital economy (like the role of social media and e-commerce platforms), but also on emerging technologies (like generative AI) which are likely to pose major challenges to competition and consumer protection in the near future. How are and how should these technological developments be regulated to address competition and consumer concerns, both now and in the years to come?
Teaching focuses on major legal and societal themes, combining perspectives of the more traditional EU legal domains of competition and consumer law on the one hand and the new perspective of the digital acquis on the other. For example, how does EU law protect the functioning of the digital market, when a handful of tech giants act as gatekeepers, enabling them to exclude competitors and exploit consumers? In this respect, both Article 102 TFEU and the Digital Markets Act will be relevant. And how does EU law protect consumers against manipulation through online marketing? Does EU consumer protection law provide an adequate answer in this regard, and what is the role of the Digital Services Act in protecting consumers?
The course focuses on technological developments that are already strongly embedded in our digital economy (like the role of social media and e-commerce platforms), but also on emerging technologies (like generative AI) which are likely to pose major challenges to competition and consumer protection in the near future. How are and how should these technological developments be regulated to address competition and consumer concerns, both now and in the years to come?
Place of the course within the curriculum:
- Compulsory course in the master Law and Technology in Europe;
- Compulsory course in the specialisation Law and Technology of the master European Law.
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