Agenda

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    Tuesday, 9 December 2025

  • 08:30 - 09:00

    Registration and breakfast

  • 09:00 - 09:05

    Welcome address

    Margaret Sanderson

    Vice President and Practice Leader, Charles River Associates

  • 09:05 - 09:30

    Keynote address

    Teresa Ribera

    Executive Vice-President, European Commission

    Raphaël De Coninck - Discussant

    Vice President, Charles River Associates

  • 09:30 - 10:45

    Session 1: Competition and Trade: Partners for Growth in a Global Economy?

    As tariffs rise and trade agreements take center stage, the connection between competition and trade has never been more intriguing. How are new trade barriers shaking up competition policy, and what happens when trade objectives collide with antitrust enforcement – as illustrated in the Google ad-tech case? Are competition and trade still partners for global growth, or are they heading for a showdown?

    Marcus Bokkerink

    Pinsent Masons, former CMA

    Benoît Coeuré

    President, Autorité de la concurrence

    Paola Conconi

    BP Professor of Economics, University of Oxford and Professorial Fellow at New College

    Denis Redonnet

    Deputy Director-General, DG Trade, European Commission

    Emanuele Tarantino

    Chief Competition Economist, DG Competition, European Commission

    Benno Buehler - Moderator

    Vice President, Charles River Associates

  • 10:45 - 11:15

    Break

  • 11:15 - 12:00

    Spotlight on Merger Guidelines

    The Commission's consultation on merger review raises questions about the role and scope of merger control. What are the emerging themes and how do they compare to the issues that animated the recent merger review guidelines in the UK and the US.

    Joel Bamford

    Executive Director for Mergers, Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)

    Guillaume Loriot

    Deputy Director-General for Mergers, DG Competition, European Commission

    Fiona Scott Morton

    Theodore Nierenberg Professor of Economics; Yale School of Management, Senior Consultant to CRA

  • 12:00 - 13:15

    Session 2: All points of the compass: What's Next for Merger Control Under the New Guidelines?

    The Commission is consulting on how (and whether) to incorporate broader considerations from competitiveness and resilience, to decarbonization, into merger control and how to adapt to the realities of digitization and globalization. Meanwhile, case-by-case enforcement continues with renewed focus on portfolio effects. What will merger enforcement look like under the new guidelines, and will this update similarly last the test of time?

    Daniele Calisti

    Head of Unit, Mergers, DG Competition, European Commission

    Fernando Castillo de la Torre

    Director in the Legal Service, European Commission

    Damien Gerard

    Prosecutor General, Belgian Competition Authority

    Elisabetta Iossa

    Commissioner, Italian Competition Authority (AGCM)