SEMINAR

Current challenges in competition law in M&A transactions – How to deal with (even) more notification obligations?

Moderator: Judith Feldner – E+H Rechtsanwälte – Austria
Merger control has become less predictable recently: Deals which are not notifiable in any EU member state may be referred to the European Commission based on Art 22 EUMR. Moreover, certain national merger control regimes have included broad discretion for the respective national competition authorities to assess transactions under the national merger control regime even if the thresholds are not met. The panel will discuss how to identify potential candidate cases and how to handle them strategically. We will also focus on the challenge of the future notification obligation for concentrations under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation. We will discuss how to monitor financial contributions by non-EU governments in an international group and what we can expect from the European Commission proceedings.

Dominance decisions: daring, daunting and dynamic?

Moderator: Andrea Pomana – MayerBrown – Germany
There has been an explosion of activity in abuse of dominance cases. Competition authorities and courts have handed down important decisions across varied sectors: from railways, mail delivery, pharma and ice cream selling, to major “platform” cases. There is a body of complex and nuanced case law both in terms of substantive, and procedural points. The analytical tools used by the authorities to reach these decisions are far from fixed. Form-based approaches are shunned in favour of analysis that focuses on the economic effects of a behaviour, with the AEC test more ‘optional’ than ever before. Questions about interaction with non-competition based regulation remain, and new additional rules for digital gatekeepers are in the wings. The panel will consider recent decisional trends made by enforcers in this area, and include some forward looking at how abuse of dominance enforcement might evolve over the next period.

Welcome to the FDI Jungle – How to Navigate through the regimes ?

Moderator: Asko Lindqvist – Borenius – Finland
In this panel, we will focus on a new field of law that is of direct interest to competition lawyers. We will discuss how to navigate through a complex patchwork of FDI regimes. Our panelists will share their experiences on dealing with the question: “To file or not to file”, with a practical insight into the scope and the practical aspects the filing assessment. We will also discuss the implications of the FDI regimes on the planning of transactions and the preparation of agreements. Finally, the panelists will tackle the question of the management of multi-jurisdictional filings and other practical considerations (e.g. how to align merger control and FDI filings).

Competition Damages Litigation: What else will be disclosed in 2023 and beyond?

Moderator: Rick Cornelissen – Houthoff – Netherlands
One of the most striking themes of the past period is disclosure. The ECJ ruled, amongst other things, that disclosure is not limited to pre-existing documents but that the disclosure rules also apply to non-existing documents that a party may need to compose. What will be the practical consequences of the broader scope of the disclosure rules and how will national courts deal with that? Another theme that deserves attention is the attribution of liability for the conduct of another entity within a group. Until recently EU competition law was only familiar with upward attribution of liability but recently also with the downward variant albeit under certain conditions. How have national courts interpreted and applied the latter type of attribution of liability so far? Another tantalizing question is whether there is reason to apply the economic unit doctrine to the claimant side in damages actions. In conclusion, damages calculation will be discussed. Which jurisdiction offers the best deal and are there any areas of tension that can be identified between practical solution methods (e.g. for mass claims) and national law principles underlying the determination of damages?

Fair play v. fair competition. Application of competition law to professional sports

Moderator: Aleksander Stawicki – WKB – Poland
Sport is a big business, by some estimates accounting to almost 4% of European GDP. No surprise that it attracts attention of competition authorities. Broadcasting rights, regulatory powers of sport’s associations, players contracts, financial fair play, sponsors – just name it and there will be a corresponding case. But is sport only a business? Is it always about market competition or sometimes also about other values, including fair play? The panel will try to answer this question based on the recent case law, hoping that this will also allow for a more general discussion about interplay between protection of competition and other values important for a modern society.

REGISTRATION

• Distribution: Ready for the next generation – Moderator: Silke Möller, Glade Michel Wirtz (Germany) Speakers: Ami Paanajärvi, Roschier (Finland), Alia Schweiger, E.CA Economics (Germany), Frank Wijckmans, Contrast (Belgium), Kim-Simone Janutta, Otto Group (Germany)

• Event Horizon – The future of horizontals – Moderator: Soledad Blanco-Thomas, European Commission (Belgium), Speakers: Elvira Aliende, Shearman & Sterling (Belgium), Pablo Figueroa, Perez Llorca (Spain), Stefan Thomas, Eberhard Karls University (Germany), Albert Pereda, Lonza (Switzerland)

• Fiction or Reality: Who cares about effects in competition law? Moderator: Nicolas Birkhäuser, Niederer Kraft Frey (Switzerland) Speakers: Henri Piffaut, French Competition Authority (France), Donald Slater, Ashurst (Belgium), Matthias Eisenbarth, Anheuser-Busch InBev (Sweden), Thomas Graf, Cleary Gottlieb (Belgium)

• Knock, knock – Can you handle your dawn raids? Moderator: Elisabeth Eklund, Delphi (Sweden) Speakers: Sarah Beeston, Van Doorne (Netherlands), Kaarli Eichhorn, Jones Day (Belgium), Dirk Van Erps, European Commission (Belgium), Helene Andersson, Delphi (Sweden)

• Competition law is a barrier for sustainability – Myth or Fact? Moderator: Liga Merwin, Ellex, Riga (Latvia) Speakers: Alexander Gaigl, Oxera (Germany), Jussi Koivusalo, Dittmar & Indrenius (Finland), Mariska van de Sanden, the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (Netherlands), Laurits Schmidt Christensen, Ramboll (Denmark)

• “Protect the consumers, fairness in competition, a new paradigm ?” Panel moderator: Simone Gambuto, Nunziante Magrone, Italy. Speakers: Guillaume Teissonière – eDreams ODIGEO (Spain) ; Zoltan Marosi – Oppenheim (Hungary), Ana Perdigao (Expedia Group), Claudio Calcagno – GMT Economics (UK).

• “Regulate the techies” – Panel moderator: Ricardo Celli, O’Melveny & Myers, Brussels/Belgium – Speakers: Andrew Ward – Cuatrecasas (Spain) ; Annemiek Wilpshaar – European Commission (Belgium) ; Marixenia Davilla – Quinn Emanuel (Belgium) ; Miguel Perez Guerra – Google (United Kingdom)

• “Keep them merging” – Panel moderator: Satu-Anneli Kauranen, Merilampi Attorneys, Helsinki/Finland – Speakers: Maurice de Valois Turk – Oxera (Netherlands) ; Natura Gracia – Linklaters (United Kingdom) ; Robert Hardy – Simmons & Simmons (Belgium) ; Zoya Todorova – Dimitrov, Petrov & Co. (Bulgaria)

• “Damages litigation galore” – Panel moderator: Joost Fanoy, BarentsKrans, The Hague/Netherlands – Speakers: Lesley Hannah – Hausfeld (United Kingdom) ; Toni Kallikoski – Dittmar & Indrenius (Finland) ; Pedro Callol – Callol, Coca & Asociados (Spain) ; Till Schreiber – Cartel Damage Claims Consulting (Belgium)

• “Horizontals are hot again” – Panel moderator:Christine Dietz, Binder Grösswang, Vienna/Austria – Speakers: Aleko Bogdanov – European Commission (Belgium) ; Liga Merwin – Ellex Klavins (Latvia) ; Mette Alfter – Frontier Economics (Belgium) ; Sebastian Hack – Osborne Clarke (Germany) ; Tamar Dolev-Green – MSD (Israel) , Soledad Blanco Thomas (European Commission)

• “Verticals: The path towards 2022” – Panel moderator: Ruben Elkerbout, Stek, Netherlands – Panellists: Johanna Kübler, Commeo, Germany, Radovan Kubáč, Nedelka Kubáč advokáti, Czech Republic, Szilvia Szekely, European Commission, Belgium; Theon van Dijk, E.CA Economics, Belgium

• “Merger Control: What’s hot” – Panel moderator: Cormac Little, William Fry, Ireland – Panellists: Asko Lindqvist, Borenius Attorneys, Finland, Barbara Veronese, CEG Europe, Italy, Diarmuid Ryan, Squire Patton Boggs, UK and Belgium, Silke Möller, Glade Michel Wirtz, Germany, Volker Weiss, Schönherr, Belgium

• “Political dimensions of merger control” – Panel moderator: Sarah Biontino, Biontino Europe, Belgium – Panellists: Joséphine Fourquet, Paul Hastings, France, Jürgen Schindler, Allen & Overy, Belgium, Nathalie McNelis, MLex, Belgium, Sara Ashall, Solicitor, Belgium

• “Abuses of dominance”. Panel moderator: Sarah Biontino, Biontino Europe, Belgium – Panellists: Joséphine Fourquet, Paul Hastings, France, Jürgen Schindler, Allen & Overy, Belgium, Nathalie McNelis, MLex, Belgium, Sara Ashall, Solicitor, Belgium

• “Antitrust compliance” – Panel moderator: Elena Garcia, ThyssenKrupp Elevator, Germany – Panellists: Marie Leppard, Euclid Law, UK, Nikiforos Iatrou, McCarthy Tétrault, Canada, Sebastian Brack, Deutsche Bahn, Germany

• “Collusion through third parties” – Panel moderator: Kristian Hugmark, Roschier, Sweden. Panelists: Alexander Birnstiel, Noerr, Germany / Camilla Holtse, Maersk, Denmark / Adrian Majumdar, RBB, UK / Miguel Rato, Quinn Emanuel, Belgium / Grégoire Ryelandt, Deprevernet, Belgium

• “Practical challenges of dominance cases” – Panel moderator: Stephen Whitfield, Travers Smith, UK. Panelists: Daniel Colgan, DLA Piper, Belgium / David Hull, Van Bael & Bellis, Belgium / Tero Louko, Google, Belgium / Andrea Pomana, Debevoise & Plimpton, Germany / Elena Zoido, Compass Lexecon, Spain

• “Litigation: What works when appealing decisions ?” – Panel moderator: Aleksander Stawicki, Wkb Wierciński Kwieciński Baehr, Poland. Panelists: Astrid Ablasser-Neuhuber, bpv Hügel, Austria / Aleksandra Boutin, Compass Lexecon, Belgium / Martin André Dittmer, Gorrisen Federspiel, Denmark / Robert Neruda, Havel & Partners, Czech Republic / Inês Sequeira Mendes, Abreu Advogados, Portugal

• “Damage claims: Hot issues and trends”. Panel moderator: Pedro Callol, Callol, Coca & Asociados, Spain. Panelists: Rick Cornelissen, Houthoff, Netherlands / Nadine Hermann, Quinn Emanuel, Germany / Anne Morfey, Hausfeld, UK / Florian Neumayr, bpv Hügel, Austria / Ricardo Oliveira, PLMJ Advogados, Portugal / Stephen Smith, Bristows, UK

• “online world: from platforms to algorithms” – Panel moderator: Sebastian Janka, Noerr, Germany. Panelists: Aurélien Condomines, Aramis, France / Yusuke Kaeriyama, Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu, Japan / John Snyder, Alston & Bird, USA /Lars Wiethaus, Charles River Associates, Belgium