ZEW Lunch Debate in Brussels Addresses Current Developments in European Competition Policy Today

In the day-to-day business of the European Union and its agencies, cartel law cases are not uncommon. The fines imposed by the European Commission on companies as a result of cartel law infringements are considerable. This is one reason why cartel members may cave in and act as principal witnesses for the EU Commission, thereby taking action against their own accomplices. But why do some companies refuse to do this, when it could result in the reduction of fines? Have measures such as the European Commission's Action Plan for the fundamental reform of corporate taxation in the EU had a noticeable impact on European competition law? The question as to quite how effective the supranational fight waged against cartels actually is, is the focus of the ZEW Lunch Debate set to take place at the Representation of the State of Baden-Württemberg to the European Union in Brussels, on July 1, 2015.

In 2002, the EU Commission implemented a new leniency programme for cases involving cartel law infringements, and further adapted this in 2006 through additional reforms. Practical experience indicates that the relevance of this programme in the fight against cartels is not to be overlooked. Most recently, for example, the EU Commission imposed a fine of 68 million euros on two German car manufacturers, Eberspächer and Webasto, for having participated in illegal collusion activities, namely price-fixing and customer allocation between the two firms. Due to the fact, however, that Eberspächer participated in the Commission's leniency programme, the manufacturer was not required to pay the full fine.

At the ZEW Lunch Debate entitled "Recent Developments in European Competition Policy", the efficiency of the programme and the most recent reforms in the field of European competition law is discussed. The event features

• Professor Kai Hüschelrath, head of the Research Group "Competition and Regulation" at the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) and professor for competition policy at the University of Mannheim,
• Dr. Stephanie Birmanns, lawyer for European and German cartel law and merger control at the EU Commission in the internationally active law firm Schilling, Zutt & Anschütz,
• and Gerald Miersch, head of unit of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Competition.

Following a presentation on "Perspectives on Cartel Enforcement in the European Union" given by Kai Hüschelrath, ZEW President Professor Clemens Fuest chairs the subsequent panel discussion.

Since its launch in 2014, the ZEW Lunch Debate series has provided a lunchtime platform for experts to discuss current economic challenges facing Europe. Events within this series, which take place in Brussels on a regular basis, provide an opportunity for controversial, open and committed debate.