Company’s Behavior, Time and Teleological Logic in Relevant Market Definition under Morocco–EU Law
Keywords:
Relevant Market; Competition Law (Morocco–EU); Market Power/Dominance; Temporal Factors–Teleological Logic Analysis; Structure–Behaviour–Performance Paradigm
Abstract
This study explores the legal and economic foundations of the concept of the «relevant market» within the Moroccan and European Union competition law systems. It proceeds from the idea that both Moroccan Law No. 104-12 and the EU framework under Articles 101 and 102 TFEU require a precise delineation of the competitive space in which undertakings operate in order to ensure the effective enforcement of competition rules. The objective is to analyse how competition authorities in Morocco and within the EU define the relevant market to identify competitive constraints, assess corporate behaviour, and determine whether practices such as cartels or abuses of dominant position are capable of preventing, restricting, or distorting free competition.
Methodologically, the research adopts a comparative and analytical approach, combining legal interpretation, industrial-economics principles and organisational analysis. It draws on the Structure-Behaviour-Performance paradigm, integrates both macro- and microeconomic considerations, and incorporates temporal and finalistic dimensions that influence the deployment of undertakings within their respective competitive environments. This multidisciplinary method provides a clearer understanding of how market definition functions as both a normative requirement and a factual diagnostic tool.
The findings reveal three decisive factors that shape a pragmatic understanding of the relevant market in both systems: the structuring role of corporate behaviour; the importance of temporal factors, as cartels and dominance assessments rely on past and present market conditions; and the relevance of purpose, since the strategic intent of undertakings is essential for evaluating anti-competitive effects.
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References
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29. El Azhary M. (2022), L’instrumentalisation de la définition du marché pertinent aux fins de la mise en œuvre des droits marocain et européen de la concurrence : Etat des lieux et réflexion prospective (The instrumental use of the relevant market definition for the purposes of implementing the Moroccan and European competition laws: Current situation and forward-looking considerations), European Scientific Journal (ESJ), 18 (35), 169.
30. El Azhary, M. (2024). L’Approche juridique, épistémique et finalistique du marché pertinent en droits marocain et européen de la concurrence : état des lieux, enjeux et réflexion prospective (The Juridical, Epistemical, and Finalistical Approaching of the Relevant Market in The Moroccan and European Competition Law: State of Affairs, Challenges, and Prospective Reflection), European Scientific Journal, ESJ, 20(8), 49.
31. El Azhary, M. (2025). The Relevant Market as a Juridical Construct: Its Origins and Evolution under Moroccan and European Competition Law. European Scientific Journal, ESJ, 21(29), 87.
32. Ezrachi, A. and Stucke, M. E. (2016), Virtual competition: The promise and perils of the algorithm-driven economy, Harvard University Press.
33. Feydel, R. (2015), La fluidité du marché : essai en droit des marchés (Market fluency: an essay on the law of markets), Librairie Eyrolles, Paris.
34. Genicot, N. (2020), L'Index de la sécurité juridique, ou comment promouvoir le droit continental par le biais d'un indicateur (The Index of Legal Security, or how to improve Continental Law through an indicator), Droit et société, Vol. 104, (1), 211-234.
35. Green, D.H. and Ryans, A-B. (March 1990), Entry Strategies and Market Performance Causal Modeling of a Business Simulation, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Vol. 7, (1), 45-58.
36. Houle, D. and Shapiro, O. (2014), Brand Shift : The Future of Brands and Marketing, David Houle AND Associates.
37. Kaplow, L. (December 2010), Why (ever) define Markets?, Harvard Law Review, Vol. 124, (2), 437-517.
38. Korah, V. (2007), An Introductory Guide to EC Competition Law and Pratice, Hart Publishing, 9th Edition.
39. Lambin, J-J. and De Moerloose, Ch. (2016), Marketing stratégique et opérationnel : La démarche marketing dans l'économie numérique (Strategic and operative marketing: approaching marketing in the digital economy), Management Sup, Dunod.
40. Le Roy, F. (2004). Droit de la concurrence et régulation économique (Competition law and economic regulation), LGDJ.
41. Le Roy, F. (2007), La concurrence, entre affrontement et connivence (Competition, between clash and collusion), Revue Française de Gestion, 1(158), 147-152.
42. Lesquins, J- L. (1994), Innovation et délimitation des marchés pertinents (Innovation and delineation of relevant markets), Revue d'économie industrielle, Vol. 4, 70, 7-15.
43. Lianos, I. (2007), La transformation du droit de la concurrence par le recours à l’analyse économique (The reshaping of competition law through economic analysis), Bruylant.
44. Liebeler, W. (1978), Market Power and Competitive Superiority in Concentrated Industries, The University of California, Los Angeles School of Law Review (UCLA), 25(1231), 1260-1266.
45. Lopatka, J. (June 2011), Market Definition?, Review of Industrial Organization, Vol. 39, 69-93.
46. March, J. (1999), The Pursuit of Organizational Intelligence, Oxford, Blackwell.
47. Miniter, R. (2002), The Myth of Market Share. Why Market Share Is the Fool's Gold of Business, Crown Business Briefings.
48. Motta, M. (2004). Competition policy: Theory and practice. Cambridge University Press.
49. Peruzzetto, S. and Jazottes, G. (2008), Competition law, constraints and opportunities, in Qu'en est-il du droit de la recherche? (What about research law?), (pp. 373-387), Jacques Larrieu (ed.), Presses de l’Université Toulouse Capitole, Collection « Travaux de l'IFR », (Personal Translation).
50. Porter, M. (1982), Choix Stratégique et Concurrence (Strategic Choice and Competition), Economie, Paris.
51. Posner, R. A. (2001). Antitrust law (2nd ed.). University of Chicago Press.
52. Posner, R. A., (April, 2002), Pragmatism versus Purposivism in First Amendment Analysis, Stanford Law Review, 54(4), 737-752.
53. Prieto, C. (2018), Ententes : concours de volontés (Agreements: combination of wills), JurisClasseur Europe Traité, fasc. 1405.
54. Ries, A. and Trout, J. (1981), Positioning : The battle for your mind, McGraw-Hill Inc., New York.
55. Sibony, A-L. (2008), Le juge et le raisonnement économique en droit de la concurrence (The court and economic reasoning in Antitrust Law), LGDJ, Coll. Droit AND Economie, Paris.
56. Smith, A. (1776). An inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations. W. Strahan and T. Cadell.
57. Spector, D. (2006). Competition law in theory and practice. Oxford University Press.
58. Stuyck, J. (1999). European competition law: A practical guide. Kluwer Law International.
59. Trout, J. (June 1969), Positioning is a game people play in today’s me-too market place, Industrial Marketing, Vol. 54, (6), 51–55.
60. Trout, J. and Rivkin, S. (1996), The New Positioning : The latest on the worlds #1 business strategy, McGraw Hill.
61. Vandencasteele, A. (1999), La part de marché est-elle la clé de voûte du droit européen de la concurrence ? (Is market share the keystone of the European antitrust law?), in Mélanges M. Waelbroeck, Brussels, Bruylant, Vol. 2.
62. Vives, X. (2008). Competition policy: Theory and practice. MIT Press.
63. Werden, G. J. (1983). Market delineation and the Justice Department's merger guidelines. Duke Law Journal, 1983(2), 295–326.
64. Werden, G. J., and Froeb, L. M. (2018). The antitrust enterprise: Principle and execution. MIT Press.
65. Whish, R. and Bailey, D. (2021), Competition Law, Oxford University Press, 31th Edition.
2. Baillergeau, D. (2006), Les stratégies de positionnement : les voies de la légitimité : le cas de l'industrie du surfwear (Positioning strategies: paths to legitimacy: the case of the surfwear industry), Doctoral Thesis (PhD), University of Pau and Pays de l'Adour (UPPA).
3. Ben Dlala Jenhani, S. (2007), Le positionnement des marques internationales dans un contexte globalisé : analyse critique des principaux déterminants et des axes décisionnels clés (The positioning of international brands in a globalised context: critical analysis of the main determinants and key decision-making factors), Doctoral Thesis (PhD), University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne.
4. Benamour, A. (2010), La concurrence et les grandes problématiques de l’heure, Collection Thèmes Actuels : Culture de la concurrence – L’an I du Conseil de la Concurrence- (Competition and the major issues of the day, Current Issues Collection: The Culture of Competition – The first year of the Competition Council of The Kingdom of Morocco), REMALD, Rabat, (68).
5. Bennion, F. (2008), Statutory Interpretation, Butterworths Law, 5th Edition, London.
6. Bienaymé, J. (1998), Principes de concurrence (Principles of Competition), Economica.
7. Bishop, S., and Walker, M. (2010). The economics of EC competition law: Concepts, application and measurement (3rd ed.). Sweet AND Maxwell.
8. Bosco, D. and Prieto, C. (2013), Droit européen de la concurrence : ententes et abus de position dominante (European Competition Law: Antitrust and Abuse of Dominant Position), Bruylant, Bruxelles.
9. Boy, L. (2005), L'abus de pouvoir de marché : contrôle de la domination ou protection de la concurrence (Abuse of Market Power: Control of Domination or Protection of Competition), Revue Internationale de Droit Économique, Tome 9, Ed. De Boeck Supérieur, 2005/1, 27-50.
10. Boyer, R. (1986). The regulation school: A critical introduction. Columbia University Press.
11. Brock, W. (December, 1983), Contestable Markets and the Theory of Industry Structure : A Review Article, Journal of Political Economy, 91(6), 1055–1066.
12. Brozen, Y. (1975), The Competitive Economy, New Jersey General Learning Press.
13. Brozen, Y. (November/December 1969), Competition, Efficiency and Antitrust, Journal of World Trade, Vol. 3, (6), 659-670.
14. Carlton, D. W., and Perloff, J. M. (2005). Modern industrial organization (4th ed.). Pearson.
15. Chandler, A. (1972), Stratégies et structures de l’entreprise (Strategies and company structures), Éditions d’Organisation.
16. Chevalier, M. et Dubois, P-L. (2009), Les 100 mots du marketing (The 100 marketing terms), Presses Universitaires de France, Coll. « Que sais-je ? ».
17. Comanor, W. and White, L. (1992), Market Power or Efficiency : A Review of Antitrust Standards, Review of Industrial Organization, 7(2), 105-116.
18. Combe, E. (2020), Économie et politique de la concurrence (Economics and Competition Policy), Deuxième édition, Dalloz, Paris.
19. Cremer, J., De Montjoye, Y.-A. and Schweitzer, H. (2019), Competition policy for the digital era, Brussels, European Commission.
20. De Gramont, D. (1996), Propos impertinents sur le marché pertinent dans le droit de l’Union (Uppity statements on the Relevant Market in European Union Law), Dalloz Affaires, (5).
21. Deffains, B. and Pellefigue, J. (2018), Vraiment pertinent ? Une analyse économique des marchés pertinents (Really Relevant? An Economic Analysis of the Relevant Markets), Revue Trimestrielle de Droit Commercial, (3), 555-573.
22. Desaunettes-Barbero, L. et Thomas, E. (2019), Droit matériel européen des abus de position dominante : textes et commentaires (European Substantive Law on Abuse of Dominance: Legal Texts and Commentaries), Bruylant, Bruxelles.
23. Diawara, K. (2008), Le contrôle de la puissance de marché par les droits canadien et européen de la concurrence : Contribution à une approche juridique du marché (The supervision of Market Power by Canadian and European Competition Law: Contributing to a Legal Approach to the Market), Doctoral Thesis (PhD), Laval University, Quebec.
24. Driedger, A. (1983), Construction of Statutes, Butterworth AND Co., 2d Edition, Canada.
25. Dubois, P-L., Jolibert, A., Gavard-Perret, M-L. and Fournier, Ch. (2013), Le Marketing. Fondements et pratique (Marketing: fundamentals and practices), 5th ed., Economica, Paris.
26. Dumez, H., and Jeunemaitre, A. (2005), La régulation économique et le droit de la concurrence (Economic regulation and competition law), Presses Universitaires de France.
27. Dussange, P. (1986), L'industrie de l’arme Economique (The Economic Arms Industry), Dunod, Paris.
28. El Azhary, M. (2021), L’égalité de traitement entre entreprises en droit marocain et européen de la concurrence (Equal Treatment of Companies in Moroccan and European Law on Competition), Doctoral Thesis (PhD) in Legal and Political Sciences, Faculty of Legal, Economic, and Social Sciences, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University of Fez.
29. El Azhary M. (2022), L’instrumentalisation de la définition du marché pertinent aux fins de la mise en œuvre des droits marocain et européen de la concurrence : Etat des lieux et réflexion prospective (The instrumental use of the relevant market definition for the purposes of implementing the Moroccan and European competition laws: Current situation and forward-looking considerations), European Scientific Journal (ESJ), 18 (35), 169.
30. El Azhary, M. (2024). L’Approche juridique, épistémique et finalistique du marché pertinent en droits marocain et européen de la concurrence : état des lieux, enjeux et réflexion prospective (The Juridical, Epistemical, and Finalistical Approaching of the Relevant Market in The Moroccan and European Competition Law: State of Affairs, Challenges, and Prospective Reflection), European Scientific Journal, ESJ, 20(8), 49.
31. El Azhary, M. (2025). The Relevant Market as a Juridical Construct: Its Origins and Evolution under Moroccan and European Competition Law. European Scientific Journal, ESJ, 21(29), 87.
32. Ezrachi, A. and Stucke, M. E. (2016), Virtual competition: The promise and perils of the algorithm-driven economy, Harvard University Press.
33. Feydel, R. (2015), La fluidité du marché : essai en droit des marchés (Market fluency: an essay on the law of markets), Librairie Eyrolles, Paris.
34. Genicot, N. (2020), L'Index de la sécurité juridique, ou comment promouvoir le droit continental par le biais d'un indicateur (The Index of Legal Security, or how to improve Continental Law through an indicator), Droit et société, Vol. 104, (1), 211-234.
35. Green, D.H. and Ryans, A-B. (March 1990), Entry Strategies and Market Performance Causal Modeling of a Business Simulation, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Vol. 7, (1), 45-58.
36. Houle, D. and Shapiro, O. (2014), Brand Shift : The Future of Brands and Marketing, David Houle AND Associates.
37. Kaplow, L. (December 2010), Why (ever) define Markets?, Harvard Law Review, Vol. 124, (2), 437-517.
38. Korah, V. (2007), An Introductory Guide to EC Competition Law and Pratice, Hart Publishing, 9th Edition.
39. Lambin, J-J. and De Moerloose, Ch. (2016), Marketing stratégique et opérationnel : La démarche marketing dans l'économie numérique (Strategic and operative marketing: approaching marketing in the digital economy), Management Sup, Dunod.
40. Le Roy, F. (2004). Droit de la concurrence et régulation économique (Competition law and economic regulation), LGDJ.
41. Le Roy, F. (2007), La concurrence, entre affrontement et connivence (Competition, between clash and collusion), Revue Française de Gestion, 1(158), 147-152.
42. Lesquins, J- L. (1994), Innovation et délimitation des marchés pertinents (Innovation and delineation of relevant markets), Revue d'économie industrielle, Vol. 4, 70, 7-15.
43. Lianos, I. (2007), La transformation du droit de la concurrence par le recours à l’analyse économique (The reshaping of competition law through economic analysis), Bruylant.
44. Liebeler, W. (1978), Market Power and Competitive Superiority in Concentrated Industries, The University of California, Los Angeles School of Law Review (UCLA), 25(1231), 1260-1266.
45. Lopatka, J. (June 2011), Market Definition?, Review of Industrial Organization, Vol. 39, 69-93.
46. March, J. (1999), The Pursuit of Organizational Intelligence, Oxford, Blackwell.
47. Miniter, R. (2002), The Myth of Market Share. Why Market Share Is the Fool's Gold of Business, Crown Business Briefings.
48. Motta, M. (2004). Competition policy: Theory and practice. Cambridge University Press.
49. Peruzzetto, S. and Jazottes, G. (2008), Competition law, constraints and opportunities, in Qu'en est-il du droit de la recherche? (What about research law?), (pp. 373-387), Jacques Larrieu (ed.), Presses de l’Université Toulouse Capitole, Collection « Travaux de l'IFR », (Personal Translation).
50. Porter, M. (1982), Choix Stratégique et Concurrence (Strategic Choice and Competition), Economie, Paris.
51. Posner, R. A. (2001). Antitrust law (2nd ed.). University of Chicago Press.
52. Posner, R. A., (April, 2002), Pragmatism versus Purposivism in First Amendment Analysis, Stanford Law Review, 54(4), 737-752.
53. Prieto, C. (2018), Ententes : concours de volontés (Agreements: combination of wills), JurisClasseur Europe Traité, fasc. 1405.
54. Ries, A. and Trout, J. (1981), Positioning : The battle for your mind, McGraw-Hill Inc., New York.
55. Sibony, A-L. (2008), Le juge et le raisonnement économique en droit de la concurrence (The court and economic reasoning in Antitrust Law), LGDJ, Coll. Droit AND Economie, Paris.
56. Smith, A. (1776). An inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations. W. Strahan and T. Cadell.
57. Spector, D. (2006). Competition law in theory and practice. Oxford University Press.
58. Stuyck, J. (1999). European competition law: A practical guide. Kluwer Law International.
59. Trout, J. (June 1969), Positioning is a game people play in today’s me-too market place, Industrial Marketing, Vol. 54, (6), 51–55.
60. Trout, J. and Rivkin, S. (1996), The New Positioning : The latest on the worlds #1 business strategy, McGraw Hill.
61. Vandencasteele, A. (1999), La part de marché est-elle la clé de voûte du droit européen de la concurrence ? (Is market share the keystone of the European antitrust law?), in Mélanges M. Waelbroeck, Brussels, Bruylant, Vol. 2.
62. Vives, X. (2008). Competition policy: Theory and practice. MIT Press.
63. Werden, G. J. (1983). Market delineation and the Justice Department's merger guidelines. Duke Law Journal, 1983(2), 295–326.
64. Werden, G. J., and Froeb, L. M. (2018). The antitrust enterprise: Principle and execution. MIT Press.
65. Whish, R. and Bailey, D. (2021), Competition Law, Oxford University Press, 31th Edition.
Published
2025-12-07
How to Cite
El Azhary, M. (2025). Company’s Behavior, Time and Teleological Logic in Relevant Market Definition under Morocco–EU Law. European Scientific Journal, ESJ, 48, 76. Retrieved from https://eujournal.org/index.php/esj/article/view/20402
Section
ESI Preprints
Copyright (c) 2025 Mohamed El Azhary
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
