EU Competition Conference 2023

Registration is open!

We are delighted to invite you to our traditional EU Competition Conference 2023 organised jointly by the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf - Institute for Competition Law and the CMS Antitrust, Competition & Trade Group.

The conference will take place on 11 May 2023 at the SQUARE Conference Centre in Brussels from 10:00 to 17:30 followed by an evening event* at the BELvue Museum.

We are very honoured to be able to again welcome a list of distinguished guest speakers from various institutions and private companies who will provide their valuable perspectives on the newest trends in the wide field of competition law.

The list of competition law experts includes:

• Olivier Guersent, Director-General of the Directorate General for Competition, European Commission
• Guillaume Loriot, Deputy Director-General Mergers at DG Competition
• Andreas Mundt, President of the German Competition Authority
• Damien Gerard, Prosecutor General of the Belgian Competition Authority
• Andreas Schwab, Member of the European Parliament

Furthermore, we are proud to announce that our sessions will showcase a range of further competition law experts from various private companies and competition economy consultancies including speakers from AB InBev, Akzo Nobel, Alstom, E.CA Economics, Microsoft, Oxera and many others.

Our conference will feature interviews, multiple panel discussions and focused sessions, providing insights on a variety of important topics.

Conference Programme:

10:00 Welcome: 

Christian Kersting, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf
Michael Bauer, CMS Brussels

10:10 Panel: Vertical restraints

Navigating the new normal - Exploring the impact of new VBER and VGL on pricing strategies and online selling

Panellists:

Miguel Pérez, Director Antitrust, IP & Commercial, Ab InBev

Carlos Vérgez, CMS Madrid

Moderator:

Malgorzata Urbanska, CMS Warsaw

10:50 Interview with Andreas Mundt, President of the German Competition Authority

A new approach towards sustainability agreements and buying groups?
Germany’s ideas for a new competition tool

Guest:

Andreas Mundt, President of the German Competition Authority

Interviewers:

Michael Bauer, CMS Brussels

Annemieke Hazelhoff, CMS Amsterdam

11:25 Panel: Horizontal restraints

What lies ahead? - The EU Commission’s new approach concerning sustainability agreements and information exchange

Panellists:

Daniela Esposito, Global Head of Competition Law, Akzo Nobel

Dirk Middelschulte, VP Global General Counsel Competition, Unilever

Moderators:

Annemieke Hazelhoff, CMS Amsterdam

Michael Bauer, CMS Brussels

12:15 Interview with Guillaume Loriot, Deputy Director-General Mergers at DG Competition

Merger control developments

Guest:

Guillaume Loriot, Deputy Director-General Mergers at DG Competition

Interviewers:

Christoff Henrik Soltau, CMS Hamburg

Dieter Zandler, CMS Vienna

14:00 Focus Session: Private Damage Claims

Current trends and pitfalls in private litigation, in the EU and beyond

Panellists:

Avantika Chowdhury, Partner, Oxera Consulting

Christian Kersting, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

Edmon Oude Elferink, CMS Amsterdam

Moderator:

Tim Reher, CMS Hamburg

14:00 Focus Session: Foreign Direct Investment

Beyond Borders: Key learnings and outlook on the future of Foreign Investment Control

Presenters:

Kai Neuhaus, CMS Brussels

Jacqueline Vallat, CMS London

14:00 Focus Session: Foreign Subsidies Control

Merger control 3.0: How to navigate these uncharted waters

Panellists:

Caroline Medina, Competition Law Legal Director, Alstom

Clemens Kerle, CMS Oslo

Moderator:

Claire Vannini, CMS Paris

14:45 Interview with Olivier Guersent, Director-General of the Directorate General for Competition, European Commission

Topical questions about abuse package, Reg 1/2003 review and more

Guest:

Olivier Guersent, Director-General of the Directorate General for Competition, European Commission

Interviewers:

Rupprecht Podszun, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

Dirk Van Liedekerke, CMS Brussels

15:50 Panel: Abuse of dominance

The new package on exclusionary abuses - Refining the effects-based approach?

Panellists:

Damien Gerard, Prosecutor General, Belgian Competition Authority

Simone Kohnz, Director, E.CA Economics

Rupprecht Podszun, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

Moderator:

Brian Sher, CMS London

16:45 Panel: Digital Regulation

The Digital Markets Act comes to life - First experiences, first trends

Panellists:

Sophie Gappa, Policy Officer at the Competition Unit of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action

Gerhard Klumpe, Presiding judge at the Regional Court Dortmund

Carel Maske, Director of Competition EMEA, Microsoft

Moderators:

Björn Herbers, CMS Brussels

Szabolcs Szendro, CMS Budapest

18:30 Evening event*

Dinner speech: More regulation or more competition? – An MEP’s point of view

by Andreas Schwab, Member of the European Parliament

Don't miss this unparalleled opportunity to engage with top legal minds and stay ahead of the curve in EU competition law.

Should you have any questions regarding this event, please contact us.

*Please note that seats for the evening event at the BELvue Museum are limited. We will reach out to you to confirm your seat once we have finalised our guest list. Thank you for your understanding.