Collaborative economy under the Perspective of Competition Law: A comparative study of EU law

The emergence of the sharing economy has created both positive and negative impacts on competition. The appearance of new economic paradigm, also known as platform economies or mobile application-based economies, has received attention and has been the subject of extensive evaluation and research by competent authorities. Although these platforms receive support from government policies, they must still comply with relevant specialized laws to ensure fair and transparent competition in the market. Some rulings and decisions by competent authorities in Vietnam (such as the Grab/Uber competition case and the Vinasun v. Grab case) have shown inconsistencies in their approach to issues arising from the operation of these economic forms. This paper will analyze, research, and comment on all issues related to the aforementioned cases from the perspective of competition law to examine the possibility of violations in the field of competition. Furthermore, findings in this paper will also address and reflect the viewpoints and perspectives of European law. Through commenting on these issues, authors expect that competent authorities and businesses in related fields will gain a more comprehensive understanding to reassess their operations.

KEYWORDS: collaborative economy, competition, comparative study, Vietnam, the European Union

This paper was presented at the University-level Seminar titled 'Selected Legal and Governance Issues in the Sharing Economy Model', held at Ho Chi Minh City University of Law on October 9, 2020.