Regulation and Competition Law

Code:

MD117

Acronym:

DRC

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Law

Instance: 2025/2026 - 2S (since 09-02-2026 to 22-05-2026)

Active?	Yes
Course/CS Responsible:	Law

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MD	34	Plano Oficial do ano letivo 2024	1	-	7,5	-
		Plano Oficial do ano letivo 2025	1	-	7,5	-

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

The objectives of the course are to provide the students with a general approach to the regulatory law and a thorough knowledge of both national and EU competition rules, allowing them to identify the main types of anti-competitive practices and the regulatory framework that supports them, as well as to contact with the main issues currently being addressed in this field of law.

Learning outcomes and competences

After completing this course, students should be able to identify the different types of conduct relevant to Competition Law, know its legal framework and understand its economic rationale, mastering the legal and jurisprudential criteria to give answers to each case.

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

No prior knowledge of this branch of law is required. A reasonable mastery of (written) English is advisable.

Program

Part I - Introduction
1. Regulatory law: general perspective
2. Competition law as a cross-over branch of regulatory law
Part II - Restrictive practices: anttrust law
3. Horizontal agreements
4. Vertical agreements
5. Abuse of a dominant position
Part III - Market organization
6. The control of mergers and acquisitions
7. State aid
Part IV - The enforcement of competition rules
8. Public enforcement
9. Private enforcement
Part V - Contemporary issues in Competition law

Mandatory literature

José Sá Reis; Direito da Concorrência, 2024 (general guidelines provided by the teacher)
Miguel Moura e Silva; Direito da concorrência. ISBN: 978-972-629-185-5
João Pateira Ferreira; Manual de regulação e concorrência. ISBN: 9789894017158
Porto Manuel 1943- 340; Lei da concorrência. ISBN: 978-972-40-5060-7
Moniz Carlos Botelho 340; Lei da concorrência anotada. ISBN: 978-972-40-5990-7

Complementary Bibliography

Ariel Ezrachi; EU competition law. ISBN: 978-1-50990-983-4
Richard Whish; Competition law. ISBN: 978-0-19-883632-2
Alison Jones; EU competition law. ISBN: 978-0-19-872342-4
Ioannis Lianos; Competition law. ISBN: 978-0-19-882654-5
David Ashton; Competition damages actions in the EU. ISBN: 978-1-78643-073-1
Ferro Miguel Sousa; A^definição de mercados relevantes no direito europeu e português da concorrência. ISBN: 978-972-40-5833-7
Niels Gunnar; Economics of competition lawyers. ISBN: 978-0-19-958851-0

Teaching methods and learning activities

Presencia classes, with presentation and discussion of cases.

Important: all classes are taught in portuguese.

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Teste	100,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	50,00
Frequência das aulas	50,00
Total:	100,00

Eligibility for exams

Not applicable.

Calculation formula of final grade

Distributed assessment without a final exam. Two tests, one in the middle of the semester and the other in the last class, each assessing half of the subject. The final mark is the simple arithmetic average of the marks for the two tests. Important: a mark of less than 8 in any of the tests implies failure of the course unit, even if the average of the two tests is positive (in the latter case, the final mark will always be 9).
As an alternative to this form of distributed assessment, students can opt for assessment by final exam, with the final mark for the course unit corresponding to that obtained in the final exam.

Examinations or Special Assignments

Not applicable.

Internship work/project

Not applicable.

Classification improvement

Final examination, in accordance with the applicable Assessment Regulations.