European competition law is directly applicable in the Member States. The national courts therefore fulfill an important function in the implementation of the Community competition rules. A research project led by the editor of this volume is devoted to the study of the judicial practice of the courts of the Member States. Country reports for Great Britain and Italy were presented in a first volume in 1992. This was followed in 1994 by country reports for Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Ireland, and in 1996 by Germany.
In the fourth volume, F. Boulanger analyzes French case law, comprehensively presenting the background in competition policy and law and highlighting divergences between Community law and French law. The practitioner of European competition law will find the case law in the Member States accessible through this series; the Community institutions will gain insight into the implementation of Community law by the national courts; scholars will find material for further comparative analysis.
