This year’s Annual Competition Policy Conference ‘Competition policy and economic security’, took place on Thursday, 14 November. The conference focused on how to balance a rules-based approach to competition policy with a more geopolitically-driven model. Malte Lohan, CEO and Elsa Sependa (AT&T), Chair, Competition Policy Committee, AmCham EU kicked off the event by underling the need for effective and fair competition rules to ensure that Europe remains attractive and competitive on the global stage. During the event, we heard from Damien Gérard, Prosecutor General, Belgian Competition Authority who presented the Belgian Competition Authority’s approach of using competition policy to speed up the development of digital infrastructure. 

The first panel was an examination of how geopolitical trends shape regulation. Our panelists explored the numerous geoeconomic challenges facing the EU and how competition policy can be employed alongside other policy tools to address these challenges. During the panel we heard from Maria Demertzis, Director, Economic Strategy and Finance Program, The Conference Board Europe; Aura Salla, MEP (EPP, FI); Koen Van de Casteele, Director, State aid: General Scrutiny and Enforcement, Directorate-General for Competition, European Commission and Astri Van Dyke, Director, Global Competition Policy, Google. Ioannis Lianos, Professor, Competition Law and Policy, University College London moderated the discussion while also setting the scene by giving a historical view of competition policy developments from around the world. 

The second panel of the day looked at economic security, where our speakers considered the role national security plays in transaction screening. Moderated by Natalie McNelis, Senior Correspondent, MLex, the panel discussed the complexities around merger control rules and how a coordinated approach between Member States will make it easier for investment to make its way into the EU. Attendees heard from Ief Daems, Legal Director of Antitrust, Cisco; Chair, In-House Competition Lawyers Association (ICLA); Steffen Hindelang, Director and Co-Founder, CELIS Institute and Professor, International Investment and Trade Law, Uppsala University; Francesco Macchiaroli, General Counsel, Avio Aero and Aiste Slezeviciute, incoming Head of Sector, Foreign Direct Investment Screening, Directorate-General for Trade, European Commission 

Thank you to Elsa Sependa (AT&T) Chair, Competition Policy Committee, AmCham EU for moderating the event, as well as our sponsor Baker Botts and our media partner MLex.