Le juge et le raisonnement économique en droit de la concurrence

Economic reasoning is a distinctive feature of competition law. At first sight, it may appear as foreign to judges. A closer analysis, however, shows that there is no conflict of logic between economic and judicial reasoning. Some points of convergence between these modes of reasoning are underlined. In addition, it is submitted that obstacles to judicial acknowledgement of economic reasoning are purely relative. The proposed analysis then proceeds to investigate how economic reasoning may be incorporated into judicial methods. It is shown that this is achieved by way of ordinary mechanisms. Indeed judges may use economic analysis to determine the relevant facts and legal tests. It follows that judicial control over economic reasoning – including that of competition authorities – can be explained by a very general theory of judicial review, according to which the depth of judicial control over grounds of fact and law depends on the dynamics of litigants’ contentions.