Audio
PresentationsIntroductory Remarks
Frédéric Jenny
Four main topics have been chosen for this year’s conference. The first is about the future of Competition Authorities. The Commission released a proposal in April to empower national competition authorities more effective enforcers (ECN+), which implies guarantees of their independence. The second issue we will discuss is the current crisis of confidence in market mechanisms and virtues. Demands for renewed industrial policies are echoed in many countries. There is a strong relation between this concern and innovation. We will get a closer look at how innovation is considered by competition authorities in merger control procedures and how mergers can favour innovation. The third topic is tax rulings and whether they really are a competition issue. The Commission has recently decided on a number of cases, applying State Aid law. But isn’t a different logic or approach needed here? Finally, we will discuss the politics of competition law. Political use of competition law is very frequent throughout the world but comes in very different forms.