Antitrust enforcement in Europe after Intel and Cartes Bancaires : a kind of trouble to enjoy

On 20 April 2018 the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies and Assonime jointly organised a workshop at the European University Institute’s (EUI) campus in Florence. The title of the event was ‘Antitrust enforcement in Europe after Intel and Cartes Bancaires, a kind of trouble to enjoy’. The conference discussed the impact of the rulings of the EU Court of Justice (CJ) in Intel and Cartes Bancaires on competition law enforcement at the national and the EU level. The event was opened with a keynote speech that was delivered by Svend Albaek, Deputy Chief Economist of the DG Competition of the European Commission. The workshop included two panels, which dealt, respectively, with fidelity rebates after Intel, and vertical agreements after Cartes Bancaires. A final roundtable discussion concluded the event and debated the assessment of legal and economic ‘context’ in EU competition law enforcement. The event gathered representatives from National Competition Authorities (NCAs), the European Commission, academia, industry, as well as law and economic consulting firms. The diversity of views ensured a lively debate. This Policy Brief summarises the main points that were raised during the discussion and seeks to stimulate further debate