Conference Coverage
European Commission won’t lower thresholds, says Régibeau
27 February 2020
The chief economist at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition said he does not think the commission is considering changing merger thresholds.
FTC official: Illumina/PacBio was a “future innovation story”
27 February 2020
The US Federal Trade Commission’s deputy director of competition has shed light on her agency’s challenge to the now-abandoned Illumina/Pacific Biosciences deal.
Valletti decries consumer welfare standard
26 February 2020
The consumer welfare standard is a “very imperfect system” that could be supplanted by “almost anything else”, the former chief competition economist for the EU has said.
Algorithms pose “serious” competition risk, Portuguese enforcer claims
26 February 2020
The president of Portugal’s competition authority has warned of a “future of rampant tacit collusion” brought about by advanced algorithms.
EU overenforces in digital markets as US underenforces, says Melamed
26 February 2020
The European Commission lacks an adequate fact-finding process and suffers from “insufficient discipline” when enforcing in digital markets, a former acting head of the US Department of Justice’s antitrust division has said.
DG Comp official: European champions “not the way” to tackle competition from China
19 February 2020
Creating European champions “is not the way” to tackle competition from China, a head of unit at the European Commission’s Directorate General for Competition has said.
UK tribunal approach “may need to change” if enforcer changes merger review
19 February 2020
The UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal might have to change its approach if the competition enforcer’s merger review process changes, a tribunal chairman has said.
CMA official backs structural merger remedies
14 February 2020
The executive director for markets and mergers at the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority has defended the enforcer’s preference for structural remedies for deals, even as it has experimented with behavioural remedies in other areas.
DG Comp top economist: zero-price can be special and efficiencies credible
10 February 2020
The new chief competition economist at the European Commission has predicted that the commission will offer additional theories of harm about data, but will be open to hearing efficiencies claims for mergers.
Lawyers see new politicisation of merger review
10 February 2020
As politicians have waded further into the waters of antitrust lately, some practitioners say enforcement is increasingly politicised.