IIR Law and Compliance

Competition lawyers, both in-house and in private practice, will be aware of the importance that economic evidence and analysis plays in cases brought before the European Commission, National Competition Authorities and the Courts.

Merger analysis now requires a sophisticated understanding of unilateral and coordinated effects and the potential for foreclosing concerns arising from vertical and conglomerate mergers. Empirical analyses have acquired a prominent role in competition investigations. The competitive implications of any agreement are now recognised to depend entirely on its economic effects.
The evaluation of commercial practices such as bundling discounts and rebates is increasingly ground into economic theories of foreclosure and exclusion, and the analysis of the economic impact of a cartel increasingly relies on statistical techniques. In most competition inquiries, a thorough economic analysis of the issues is now essential. Competition agencies are themselves increasingly adopting more sophisticated methods of empirical investigation and applying complex economic theories to the cases they review.

Lawyers should have at least a working understanding of the economic issues at stake, and as competition law continues to evolve in complexity the need for legal advisers to enhance their comprehension of competition economics is now more pressing than ever.

This conference will explain the approaches employed by competition authorities in the EU and will equip delegates with an understanding of how economics can be most used in competition cases to best effect.

Speakers include a specialist panel of highly experienced economists, from practicing consultants to academics and regulators, who will provide a practical review of relevant economic principles and their application in competition law proceedings.