Conference Coverage
Car Wash fines were too lenient, CADE commissioner says
29 November 2018
A commissioner at Brazil’s competition authority has criticised the €206.7 million fines that her own agency levied on four members of a construction cartel earlier this month, for being too small and for failing to disincentivise illegal collusion.
New Argentine authority expected next summer
29 November 2018
A commissioner at Argentina's existing competition watchdog has said that plans to establish a new antitrust authority are behind schedule, but he remains optimistic that it will be in place by next summer.
DG Comp chief economist: Reverse burden of proof to catch killer acquisitions
20 November 2018
Shifting the burden of proof onto larger companies to prove the efficiencies of their deals could be a way to deal with the problem of “killer acquisitions”, the European Commission’s chief competition economist has said.
European champion could be devastating, says Vestager
20 November 2018
Creating a European champion could have “completely devastating" results on jobs and industry, the European Union’s commissioner for competition has said.
Mundt: German merger regime may need rebalancing
08 November 2018
Germany may need to “reinvent the wheel” to reduce the number of merger filings its competition authority receives and to give it the power to review deals that fall below current merger thresholds, the head of its antitrust authority has said.
US DOJ rejects public interest factors even for non-competition agencies
06 November 2018
The US Department of Justice’s top official for international antitrust has said that his agency urges not only competition authorities but all government bodies to avoid non-competition factors in assessing mergers.
Antitrust tools are being stretched in digital markets, economist says
01 November 2018
Although antitrust enforcers insist that they have the legal tools and powers to address potential anticompetitive harms in the digital economy, they appear to sometimes overreach, an adviser to Google has said.
China regulator approached Luxottica/Essilor with caution, says Linklaters partner
01 November 2018
A Linklaters partner has said China’s decision to impose remedies on the merger of lens manufacturer Luxottica and eyewear company Essilor was partly due to third-party pressure on a new antitrust agency, despite the US and EU unconditionally clearing the deal earlier this year.
Wilson insists US FTC is open to alternative standards
30 October 2018
The newest member of the US Federal Trade Commission has said the agency is listening to criticism about how it enforces antitrust law, while reiterating her previous scepticism about certain behavioural remedies.
Data can impede cartel prosecutions, Israeli enforcer says
30 October 2018
The increasing need to master vast swathes of data when prosecuting cartels poses a huge obstacle and challenge to digital era enforcement, the head of Israel’s Antitrust Authority has warned.