Designing a private remedies system for antitrust cases: Lessons learned from the US experience

Thank you for inviting me to participate in your workshop. Today I want to share with you my own perspective – as a public enforcer and previously as a trial lawyer for private litigants – on the function and structure of a private remedies system for antitrust cases in the European Union. Consistent with the goals of this workshop, I hope that my remarks set down here on paper and what I discuss orally will stimulate debate, critique and brainstorming among the workshop participants regarding the topics of private remedies and collective redress in the EU. I. Let me start by summarizing what I understand to be the current state of play in the EU regarding private remedies for antitrust cases. As I see it, there are three elements. The first is that Vice-President and Commissioner for