Past event
Competition Conference 2026
The All-in-One Competition Conference
20 Jan 2026, 10:00 -
18:00
CEST
Norway
SQUARE Brussels Meeting Centre, Mont des Arts, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium
We are pleased to invite you to the Competition Conference, jointly organised by the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf – Institute for Competition Law and the CMS Antitrust, Competition & Trade Group.
Event details
Programme
20 Jan 2026 Past event
10:00 - 18:00 CEST
We are honoured to welcome a distinguished line-up of guest speakers from leading institutions and companies, who will share their views on the latest developments in competition law. The list already includes:
- Nicholas Banasevic – Microsoft
- Kristina Barbov – Sky
- Zsuzsa Cserhalmi – European Commission
- Jörn Eickhoff – Siemens Energy
- Daniela Esposito – AkzoNobel
- Damien Gerard – Belgian Competition Authority
- Alysson Havard - SPF Economie
- Linsey McCallum – European Commission
- Andreas Mundt – German Competition Authority
- Amélie Lavenir – LVMH
- Christoph Leibenath - Nestle
- Mathias Traub – BOSCH
- Elodie Vandenhende – French Competition Authority
- Carla Wachendorfer – Delivery Hero
Registration is already open now!
We look forward to welcoming you in Brussels for a deep dive into the latest trends shaping competition law.
The Programme
Enforcers interview
How to shape competition law for the future?
Guests:
- Linsey McCallum, Deputy Director-General for Antitrust in the Directorate-General for Competition, European Commission.
- Andreas Mundt, President of the German Competition Authority
Interviewers:
- Dirk van Liedekerke, CMS Brussels
- Rupprecht Podszun, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, German Monopoly Commission
Merger control – panel discussion
Revision of the EU Merger Guidelines: A New Dawn on the Horizon
Merger control outside merger control law: on the hunt for killer acquisitions
Panelists:
- Damien Gerard, Prosecutor General, Belgian Competition Authority
- Raphaël De Coninck, Head of Brussels Office, CRA
- Grania Holzwarth, Competition Policy Legal Counsel, Deutsche Telekom
Moderators:
- Dieter Zandler, CMS Vienna
- Henrik Nordling, CMS Oslo
Horizontal restraints – panel discussion
Information sharing and corporate transactions: new limits?
Information sharing and cooperation
Panelists:
- Daniela Esposito, Legal Director - Competition Law, AkzoNobel
- Christoph Leibenath, Senior Antitrust Counsel, Nestlé
- Carla Wachendorfer, Director - Global Head of Commercial & Antitrust Law, Delivery Hero
Moderators:
- Malgorzata Urbanska, CMS Warsaw
- Michael Bauer, CMS Brussels
Dawn raids – ACT spotlight
New boundaries - EC’s dawn raids under scrutiny
Recent experience in EC dawn raids
Presenters:
- Aida Oviedo, CMS Madrid
- Peter Giese, CMS Stuttgart
Abuse of dominance – panel discussion
Recent case law in the wake of the (still) Draft Guidelines
Dominant companies and navigating conduct under uncertainty
Panelists:
- Álvaro Ramos, Vice President Legal, European Legal Affairs, Chief Antitrust Compliance Officer, Qualcomm
- Amélie Lavenir, Head of Antitrust, LVMH
Moderators:
- Brian Sher, CMS London
- Carlos Vergez, CMS Madrid
Territorial supply constraints – ACT spotlight
TSC under scrutiny: new rules on the horizon?
The Swiss perspective on TSC
Presenters:
- Marquard Christen, CMS Zurich
- Michael Bauer, CMS Brussels
Damages claims – breakout session
Most recent developments from the courts: limitation of claims and reduced burden of substantiation in civil claims.
Quantification of damages: broad axe court estimation instead of economic experts’ calculations?
Panelist:
- Zsuzsa Cserhalmi, Deputy Head of the ECN & Private Enforcement Unit, European Commission
- Christian Kersting, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf
- Judge Prof. Dr. Gerhard Klumpe, Presiding LG Dortmund
Moderators:
- Tim Reher, CMS Hamburg
Foreign Direct Investment control – breakout session
Five years of EU FDI screening regulation – taking stock
Revision of the EU FDI Screening Regulation – what lies ahead?
Presenters:
- Alysson Havard, Chairman of the Belgian Interfederal Screening Committee, SPF Economie
- Aiste Slezeviciute, European Commission Directorate-General for Trade Unit F2 – Economic Security Instruments 1: FDI Screening, Outbound Investment and Anti-Coercion
- Kai Neuhaus, CMS Brussels
Foreign Subsidies control – breakout session
Finaly a level playing field or just more red tape? - Recent experience in FSR cases
A look ahead: what should we expect from the FSR-review?
Presenters:
- Jörn Eickhoff, Head of Legal Competition & Regulatory, Siemens Energy
- Björn Herbers, CMS Brussels
- Virginie Dor, CMS Brussels
EU antitrust procedures – ACT spotlight
Revision of Reg. 1/2003: what changes can be expected?
Faster procedures, more settlements, better prioritisation – more legal certainty?
Presenters:
- Murat Duman, CMS Amsterdam
Digital Competition – panel discussion
AI, data and algorithms
Recent competition law challenges in the digital economy
Panellist:
- Elodie Vandenhende, Deputy Head, Digital Economy Unit, French Competition Authority
- Mathias Traub, Head of Antitrust Law, Bosch
- Nicholas Banasevic, Corporate Vice-President, Head of Competition and Market Regulation Team, Microsoft
Moderators:
- Szabolcs Szendro, CMS Budapest
- Björn Herbers, CMS Brussels
Coorganized by the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf – Institute for Competition Law
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