A Policymaker’s Guide to Digital Antitrust Regulation

As countries weigh new digital antitrust regulations, this guide urges caution before following the EU’s lead. It argues that proposed rules like the Digital Markets Act often oversimplify how digital competition works, risk harming innovation, and could be co-opted by regulators or dominant firms. Rather than jumping to broad ex ante rules, the report recommends refining existing competition laws and tailoring interventions only where actual market failure exists. Policymakers are reminded that fairness and sovereignty claims often mask deeper trade, innovation, and political tensions.