Emerging trends in US antitrust and EU competition law ENTraNCE annual conference

Abstract

The first ENTraNCE Annual Conference was held on 14-15 October 2016, with the aim of discussing the most recent developments, both in the US and in the EU, while estimating the degree of convergence between the two main antitrust jurisdictions. The event was divided into four panels, which dealt, respectively, with (i) recent developments in relation to the assessment of horizontal and vertical agreements in online markets; (ii) merger trends in innovation markets on the two sides of the Atlantic; (iii) antitrust enforcement in innovation industries: Google and the SEP cases, on both sides of the Atlantic; (iv) private enforcement in the EU and the US in the aftermath of the EU Damages Directive. The Annual Conference gathered different stakeholders together, including representatives from National Competition Authorities (NCAs), international organisations, academia, industry, and law and consulting firms. The diversity of views ensured a lively debate. While participants agreed on various issues, the discussion revealed the need for further research on those issues that have not yet been sufficiently explored. This policy brief summarises the main points raised during the discussion, and it seeks to stimulate further debate.