Private enforcement of EU and UK competition law at the crossroads: Retrospective and Prospective

About the conference

This conference is organised by
CLES at UCL Faculty of Laws & The Dickson Poon School of Law, King's College London

Private enforcement of competition law has been a longstanding feature of both EU and UK legal systems. Particularly, damages actions for competition law infringements and collective redress mechanisms have seen a notable rise in recent years. Nearly a decade after the European Union (EU) Damages Directive (2014/104) and the reforms introduced by the Consumer Rights Act 2015 in the UK, alongside the emergence of new digital regulations (DMA, DMCCA) that incorporate both public and private enforcement mechanisms, it is timely to evaluate these developments and consider the future trajectory of private competition law enforcement in the EU and UK.

The conference organised by the CLES@UCL and KCL aim to provide such an assessment by focusing, among other topics, on collective redress mechanisms, opt-in versus opt-out approaches, and addressing challenges in cross-jurisdictional and parallel proceedings (where public and private enforcement of competition law but also digital regulations operate simultaneously), the evolution of harm theories, causation requirements, expert roles, damages quantification methods, litigation funding models, and representative actions.

Significant case law developments in both the UK and EU, alongside divergent national approaches reflecting different political economies and legal frameworks, raise important questions as to the role of private enforcement. Answering these requires us first to critically analyze past achievements regarding the twin goals of private enforcement - compensation and deterrence and to consider what the current competitive landscape and legal system dynamics portend for the future of private enforcement of competition law in the EU and the UK.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Daniel Beard KC, Monckton Chambers
• Lord Bellamy KC, Monckton Chambers
• Jean-François Bellis, Van Beal & Bellis
• Judge Pedraz Calvo, Audiencia National, Court of Appeal, Madrid
• Thomas Clark, Which?
• Andrea Coscelli CBE, Keystone Strategy
• Peter Davis, The Brattle Group
• Ronan Flanagan, CMA
• Nicholas Frey, Freshfields
• Damien Geradin, Geradin Partners/Tilburg University
• Helen Jenkins, OXERA
• Professor Ioannis Kokkoris, CCLS, Queen Mary University of London
• Ass. Prof. Filippo Lancieri, Georgetown Law (online)
• Oliver Latham, CRA
• Professor Ioannis Lianos, UCL Faculty of Laws
• Dr Liza Lovdahl Gormsen, BIICL
• Professor Bjorn Lundqvist, Stockholm University
• Deni Mantzari, UCL
• Francisco Marcos, IE Law School
• Professor Rachael Mulheron KC, (Hon), Queen Mary University London
• Gabriela Muscolo, Rucellai&Raffaelli Law firm
• Professor Renato Nazzini KC (Hon), King's College London
• Joe Perkins, FTI Consulting
• Judge Ulrika Persson, Patent and Market Court of Appeal, Stockholm
• Elena Ray, Brown Rudnick LLP
• Frank Maier Rigaud, ABCeconomics
• Professor Barry Rodger, Strathclyde University (online)
• Mario Siragusa, Cleary Gottlieb
• Miguel Sousa Fero, Managing Partner at Sousa Ferro & Associados/ Professor Lisbon University Law School
• Professor Andreas Stephan, Norwich Law School
• Patrick Teague, Geradin Partners
• Stefano Trento, Compass Lexecon
• Chris Williams, Bench Walk Advisors
• Stephen Wisking, HSF

The conference reception and lunch are supported by

The Programme

08:30 Registration and refreshments

9.00 Welcome and Introduction

9.10 Panel 1: Keynote speech panel: Private Enforcement and Collective Redress
The design of the system and a retrospective in the EU and the UK

Chair: Professor Rachael Mulheron KC (Hon), Queen Mary University London

Keynote speech: Lord Bellamy KC, Monckton Chambers

Discussion Panel

• Judge Ulrika Persson, Patent and Market Court of Appeal, Stockholm
• Judge Pedraz Calvo, Audiencia National, Court of Appeal, Madrid
• Jean-François Bellis, Van Beal & Bellis
• Damien Geradin, Geradin Partners/Tilburg University

10:45 Break

11.00 Panel 2: Challenges in cross-jurisdictional and parallel proceedings (public and private enforcement, competition law/DMA/DMCC)

Chair: Professor Renato Nazzini KC (Hon), King's College London

• Mario Siragusa, Cleary Gottlieb
• Professor Barry Rodger, Strathclyde University
• Francisco Marcos, IE Law School
• Gabriela Muscolo, Rucellai&Raffaelli Law firm

13.00 Lunch

14.00 Panel 3: Causation/Counterfactuals and Theories of Harm

Chair: Deni Mantzari, UCL

• Peter Davis, The Brattle Group
• Oliver Latham, CRA
• Stephen Wisking, HSF
• Professor Bjorn Lundqvist, Stockholm University
• Frank Maier Rigaud, ABCeconomics
• Patrick Teague, Geradin Partners

15.20 Panel 4: Quantum

Chair: Professor Ioannis Kokkoris, CCLS, Queen Mary University of London

• Joe Perkins, FTI Consulting
• Helen Jenkins, OXERA
• Daniel Beard KC, Monckton Chambers
• Stefano Trento, Compass Lexecon

16.00 Break

16.20 Panel 5: Funding and Representative actions

Chair: Dr Stavros Makris, UCL Faculty of Laws

• Liza Lovdahl Gormsen, BIICL
• Chris Williams, Bench Walk Advisors
• Elena Ray, Brown Rudnick LLP
• Professor Andreas Stephan, Norwich Law School

17.15 Panel 6: Concluding discussion: Where are We Heading to?

Chair: Professor Ioannis Lianos, UCL Faculty of Laws

• Andrea Coscelli CBE, Keystone Strategy
• Thomas Clark, Which?
• Ronan Flanagan, CMA
• Miguel Sousa Fero, Managing Partner at Sousa Ferro & Associados/ Professor Lisbon University Law School
• Nicholas Frey, Freshfields
• Ass. Prof. Filippo Lancieri, Georgetown Law (online)

18:30 Reception

 

Fees and Booing

Standard fee = £140
Public sector (academics / government) = £60
Non-UCL full time students = £40
UCL Students = free of charge

Book at: https://ucl-private-enforcement-competition-law.eventbrite.co.uk

Space for UCL students is limited. Please look out for the message with details on how you can book your spot.

Queries

Please direct any queries to Lisa Penfold at lisa.penfold@ucl.ac.uk

 

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