Simultaneous translation will be available for all plenary sessions in Dutch and sessions B and E will be in English.
| 8.30h | Reception |
| 9.15h | Opening by Chair of the Board, Gulbahar Tezel. |
| 9.30u | Keynote: The Future Competitiveness of Europe European industries are facing significant competitive pressure. The Draghi Report and the Competitiveness Compass highlight major concerns such as a lack of innovation, high energy prices, regulatory barriers, and an uneven playing field. They emphasize the urgency driven by geopolitical developments and underline the importance of Europe’s competitiveness for preserving the European way of life. In his keynote speech, economist and journalist Mathijs Bouman will explore the future of Europe’s competitiveness and the necessary steps to strengthen the resilience of the European economy. He will also examine the role of competition policy in securing Europe’s future competitive position. Mathijs Bouman, Economist and Journalist |
| 10.45h | Coffee and tea break |
| 11.15h | Dutch Competition Law Rulings of the Past Year Ruben Elkerbout, lawyer Gerardin Partners, and Ellen Römkens, senior monitoring officer at ACM Legal Affairs Directorate |
| 12.30h | Lunch |
| 13.30h | Session round 1 You can choose from three sessions: Session A: Economic Highlights How can competition authorities contribute to productivity growth and innovation? This session addresses this question in light of the Draghi Report and recent U.S. developments. Topics include the difference between consumer-focused competition and a geopolitical view of competition where competitions is conceptualised as a power struggle between different nations, the relationship between competition policy and industrial policy, and how innovation can be effectively incorporated into regulatory frameworks. Panelists: Paul de Bijl, Chief Economist ACM Inge Graef, Associate Professor of Competition Law Tilburg University Vincent Verouden, Senior expert DG Competition Jan Tichem, teammanager ACM Economic Bureau (moderator) Session B: AI & Competition (EN) This session (in English) explores the current AI landscape, and the opportunities and risks associated with this fast-evolving technology from a competition law perspective. Panelists: Andrea Appella, Senior general counsel EMEA bij OpenAI Angeline Woods, Legal director, global competition and EU affairs Uber Thibault Schrepel, Associate Professor of Law VU Amsterdam Anne-Claire Hoyng, Global Head of Competition Policy Prosus Helen Gornall, lawyer De Brauw Blackstone & Westbroek (moderator) Session C: Media & Competition The media sector is changing rapidly due to digitalization, platformization and economies of scale. Competition law therefore faces new questions: how do we protect not only competition, but also media pluralism and a well-informed public? The planned merger between DPG and RTL raises the question whether existing assessment frameworks are still sufficient to effectively tackle the concentration of power in the media. In this panel we will discuss the role of competition law in a democratic information society and the tension between economic and social interests. Panelists: Melanie Groenendijk, senior ACM Nienke Venema, director Foundation Democracy and Media Kati Cseres , associate professor of Law UvA (moderator) |
| 14.45h | Room change |
| 15.00h | Session round 2: You can choose from four sessions: Session D: State Aid The rules for State Aid in the European Union are closely tied to competition as they aim to ensure fair competition among companies that receive support from EU member states. In the current geopolitical climate, attention is being directed towards the strategic use of state aid to enhance the competitiveness of European companies. This panel will explore the deployment of such instruments for EU industrial policy, in light of the Draghi Report, the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR), and the upcoming Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework. It will also address the opportunities and threats these developments pose for businesses. Panelists: Miriam van Heyningen, Chief Ethics Counsellor and Head of Legal Compliance Tata Steel Peter Camesasca, lawyer Camesasca bvba Ekram Belhadj, lawyer Simmons & Simmons LLP (moderator) Session E: Merger Control (EN) Merger control remains a dynamic area, both nationally and internationally. There is increasing support for strategic consolidation to enable greater investment. The Draghi Report contributes to this debate, advocating for more focus on efficiencies. Investment commitments have already emerged in the telecom sector. Will there also be more attention to the development of European champions to counter global competition, particularly from big tech? This session will focus on these issues and cover the recent revision of the Horizontal Merger Guidelines. Panelist: Timo Klein, senior consultant Oxera Ana Pendeš, DG COMP, European Commission Kees Schillemans, lawyer A&O Shearman Session F: Novel cartels This session will discuss novel cartels and the enforcement actions and investigations that we are seeing in a broader range of cases, from labour agreements to purchasing cartels, and from price indexing to price tracking. Panelist: Monica Wirtz, senior legal advisor AWVN Wolf Sauter, professor law, markets and behaviour VU Amsterdam and ACM Bert Willekens, economic advisor at the Belgian competition authority Pauline Kuipers, lawyer Bird & Bird (moderator) Session G: Next Gen perspectief: State of the world & Mededingingsrecht A Next Gen session examining pressing global challenges and the role of competition law. With input from an expert in economic security and geopolitical threats, the session explores how competition law can help solve societal issues, ensure economic security, and strengthen competitiveness. Is intervention the answer—and how much room for choice remains? Panelist: Willemijn Aerdts, Lecturer-Researcher Institute for Security and Global Affairs, Universiteit Leiden Boyd Wolffers, lawyer Loyens & Loeff Roos Elemans, lawyer Stibbe |
| 16.15h | Break |
| 16.30u | Thesis Awards 2025 Three short pitches from the thesis award nominees followed by the awards presentation by the jury. |
| 16.45u | Interview Martijn Snoep by Gulbahar Tezel |
| 17.30h | End of program and drinks at KIT, hosted by RBB Economics |
| 18.30h | Dinner Location: Restaurant Kop van Oost, partially powered by RBB Economics |
Congress:
Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen
Mauritskade 63, Amsterdam
Parking:
There is no parking available at KIT. You can park on public roads in the area.
Dinner:
Restaurant Kop van Oost
Zeeburgerpad 1, Amsterdam
Drinks and dinner are made possible by RBB Economics.
