COMPETITION LAW AND SOCIAL ECONOMY: NORMATIVE CONVERGENCES AND PROPOSALS FOR SUSTAINABLE INTEGRATION

Abstract

This article examines the interaction between competition law and the social economy, two essential pillars in shaping the contemporary economic system. Based on an analysis of European, Spanish, and international legal frameworks, it explores the points of convergence and tensions between safeguarding free competition and promoting social and sustainable objectives. The study identifies legal instruments that enable compatibility, such as exemptions, social clauses in public procurement, state aid, and platform regulation. It also proposes reforms aimed at incorporating ESG metrics into merger control, clarifying the scope of social clauses, and creating a European governance framework for the social economy. The paper concludes that integration between competition and social economy should be structural rather than exceptional and outlines future research lines on empirical impact, international comparison, and digital regulation.