Digital transformation and competition policy: analysing EU's regulatory response to emerging technologies

Alexandra HorobeÈ› (), Cristiana-Ioana Coman (), Lucian Belascu (), Ioannis Kostakis () and Eugenia Busmachiu ()
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Alexandra HorobeÈ›: Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania
Cristiana-Ioana Coman: Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania
Lucian Belascu: “Lucian Blaga†University of Sibiu, Romania
Ioannis Kostakis: Harokopio University, Greece
Eugenia Busmachiu: Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova, Republic of Moldova

Eastern Journal of European Studies, 2024, vol. 15(2), 165-193

Abstract: This research explores the effectiveness of the European Union's (EU) competition policies and regulatory framework in the era of swift technology development, focusing on the nexus between digitalization, competition, and competitiveness. A novel content analysis was completed using QDA Miner for 30 official EU legislative documents issued between 1985 and 2024. The text was coded based on 10 major and 25 secondary themes. Key findings demonstrate that the most frequently used terms refer to market structure, business practices, and innovation, while the most frequent codes belong to the regulatory framework, competition policy, enforcement, and industrial strategy categories. The co-occurrence, link and proximity analyses show that digital transformation became one of the main concerns of EU in terms of regulations after 2010 and, after the pandemic, it was accompanied by a sustained interest towards sustainable development after the pandemic, which align well with the twin transition - digital and environmental - in the EU.

Keywords: digitalization; technology; innovation; EU; content analysis; legislation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:jes:journl:y:2024:v:15(2):p:165-193

DOI: 10.47743/ejes-2024-0209

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