The understanding of Article 86 (formerly Article 90) of the EC Treaty is vital to any competition lawyer working in Europe. Writing with first-hand experience of dealing with Article 86 cases at DG IV, the author provides detailed examination of this Article and the law concerning exclusive rights and State monopolies.;With analysis of the relevant case-law, attention is paid to all the key areas including: the definition of "exclusive rights" and "economic activities" the remedial possibilities offered by the often neglected Article 31(formerly Article 37), the application of Article 86(1) in conjunction with the competition rules (Article 82 (formerly Article 86)), proportionality in the context of Article 86(2) and decisions and directives under Article 86(3) and their relationship with harmonization directives.;The text offers practical insights and intelligent solutions to many of the problems posed by the applications of these rules.