Program October 8, 2026
Simultaneous translation will be available for all plenary sessions in Dutch and sessions C and D will be in English.
| 8.30h | Reception |
| 9.15h | Opening by Boardmember, Helen Gornall. |
| 9.30u | |
| 10.45h | Coffee and tea break |
| 11.15h | Dutch Competition Law Rulings of the Past Year Paul Post, lawyer De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek, 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 The session examines whether, and if so how, competition authorities can contribute to resilience. What is the relationship between resilience and competition? In what circumstances can market forces be relied upon to deliver an adequate level of resilience, and when can they not? Furthermore, what measures can policymakers and regulators take – or avoid taking – to promote and strengthen resilience? Panelists: Paul de Bijl, Chief Economist ACM Maarten Pieter Schinkel, Professor of Competition Economics and Regulation University of Amsterdam Jos Huigen, VP External Affairs KPN Jan Tichem, teammanager ACM Economic Bureau (moderator) Session B: Next Gen perspective: “Welcome to the Future” Artificial intelligence is changing the world at an unprecedented pace, but where are we headed and who determines that? Based on two future scenarios for 2056, we explore with Next Gen speakers from various disciplines what is at stake now: the rise of European technology champions, the role of regulation, and the world we want. A session that looks beyond the law and beyond 2026. Panelists: Boyd Wolffers, lawyer Loyens & Loeff Roos Elemans, lawyer Stibbe Next Gen speakers from various disciplines Session C: Merger control: Same, same but different? (ENG) The aspirations and reality of EC and Dutch merger control enforcement. This session will dive into some of the most interesting merger control cases at EC and Dutch level to probe both common and exotic theories of harm. We will consider where each authority aspires to go in its merger control ambitions, touching on various themes in the draft Horizontal Guidelines and how these may play out in theory and in reality, at both EU and Dutch level. Panelists: Miguel de la Mano, economist RBB Economics Helen Gornall, lawyer De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek (moderator) |
| 14.45h | Room change |
| 15.00h | Session round 2: You can choose from four sessions: Session D: Expansion of traditional enforcement tools (EN) In the past years, the European Union and Member States have introduced new legislation which share the objective of competition law to promote well-functioning markets. Where some of these legislations focus on specific sector and could be argued to be more similar to regulation, other tools apply to all sectors. First, this panel explores of the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR). The FSR has now been in force for over two years. The first interventions have been announced, related to mergers as well as public procurement. Second, market investigations have been used in jurisdictions surrounding The Netherlands to review sectors where markets are not believed to be functioning well. For instance, the CMA’s markets regime covers three different tools: a Market Review, a Market Study and a Market Investigation. This panel has two aims. The first aim is to inform practitioners on the latest developments. The aim second is to reflect on how these tools complement classic competition law and how these affect firms. The panel session will be conducted in English. Panelists: Maurice de Valois Turk, economist Linea Clara (moderator) Session E: Regulation Panelists will be announced Session F: Litigation Panelists will be announced |
| 16.15h | Break |
| 16.30u | Thesis Awards 2026 Three short pitches from the thesis award nominees followed by the awards presentation by the jury. |
| 16.45u | Interview Martijn Snoep by Alvaro Pliego Selie |
| 17.30h | End of program and drinks at KIT, hosted by RBB Economics |
| 18.30h | Dinner Location: Orchid House, partially powered by RBB Economics |
Location
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:
Orchid House
Linnaeusstraat 2C, 1092 CK Amsterdam
Drinks and dinner are made possible by RBB Economics.
