Klaudia Majcher publishes book on coherence between data protection and competition law in digital markets

In October 2023, BSoG Senior Associate Researcher Klaudia Majcher, published a book Coherence between Data Protection and Competition Law in Digital Markets. In this book, Klaudia proposes a new concept of 'sectional coherence' to remodel the relationship between data protection and competition law. She explores the common objectives of data protection and competition law as well as their challenges in a comprehensive comparison. In addition, Klaudia provides an extensive insight into the current disconnect between the enforcement of data protection and competition law in Europe and beyond, as well as identifies the positive interactions between these two fields instead of merely addressing inconsistencies and tensions.

In digital markets, data protection and competition law affect each other in diverse and intricate ways. Their entanglement has triggered a global debate on how these two areas of law should interact to effectively address new harms and ensure that the digital economy flourishes. In her new book ‘Coherence between Data Protection and Competition Law in Digital Markets’ (OUP 2023), which is partially based on her PhD defended at the VUB in 2020, Klaudia Majcher offers a blueprint for bridging the disconnect between data protection and competition law in digital markets. The ideas that Klaudia puts forward for a more synergetic integration of data protection and competition law are anchored in the concept of ‘sectional coherence’. This new coherence-centred paradigm reimagines the interpretation and enforcement of data protection and competition law as mutually cognizant and reciprocal, allowing readers to explore, in an innovative way, the interface between these legal fields and identify positive interactions, instead of merely addressing inconsistencies and tensions.