This article examines the meaning and scope of the notion of anticompetitive effects in EU competition law. It does so by bringing together several strands of the case law (and this across all provisions, namely Articles 101 and 102 TFEU and merger control). The analysis is structured around a framework that considers the main variables that shape the notion in practice: the time variable (actual or potential effects); the dimensions of competition and the counterfactual; the meaning of effects and the probability threshold (plausibility, likelihood, certainty). The exercise shows that it is possible to discern a concrete meaning to the notion of anticompetitive effects. Some central questions, including the role and operation of the counterfactual and the threshold of effects, have already been answered by the Court of Justice. In particular, it has long been clear that anticompetitive effects amount to more than a mere competitive disadvantage and/or a limitation of a firm’s freedom of action. The impact on equally efficient firms’ ability and/or incentive to compete would need to be established. At the same time, some open questions and some potential areas of friction (relating, inter alia, to stakeholders’ tendency to conflate appreciability and effects) remain. These are also discussed.

中文翻译：

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欧盟竞争法中的反竞争影响

本文考察了欧盟竞争法中反竞争效果概念的含义和范围。它通过汇集判例法的几个方面来实现这一点（这贯穿了所有条款，即 TFEU 第 101 和 102 条以及合并控制）。分析围绕一个框架构建，该框架考虑了在实践中形成概念的主要变量：时间变量（实际或潜在影响）；竞争和反事实的维度；效果的含义和概率阈值（合理性、可能性、确定性）。该练习表明，可以辨别反竞争效果概念的具体含义。一些核心问题，包括反事实的作用和运作以及效果的阈值，已经由法院回答。特别是，长期以来，人们都清楚反竞争效应不仅仅是一种竞争劣势和/或对公司行动自由的限制。需要确定对同等效率公司的竞争能力和/或激励的影响。与此同时，一些悬而未决的问题和一些潜在的摩擦领域（尤其与利益相关者将可评价性和影响混为一谈的倾向有关）仍然存在。这些也在讨论中。利益相关者将可感知性和效果混为一谈的倾向）仍然存在。这些也在讨论中。利益相关者将可感知性和效果混为一谈的倾向）仍然存在。这些也在讨论中。