ABSTRACT
The form of the institutions and the relative severity of the legislation on rpm in the different European countries reflect the differing strengths of the forces involved. In Holland, where the voluntary chain came into existence earlier than in any other European country, small shopkeepers remain a numerous, if only marginally viable, group of traders. Prices policy in Holland is regarded as a normal part of general economic policy; it is linked closely to wages policy and to profits policy. There is considerable diversity in the countries of the European Economic Community in their approach to the regulation of the practice of rpm. The Free Democrats, as supporters of economic liberalism, argue for the continuance of the manufacturers' right to fix resale prices for their goods. In the case of France, the tradition of administrative centralisation has led to what is, in the main, a purely administrative solution.
