22nd antitrustitalia lunch on 19 February
17th February 2015
Antitrustitalia’s 22nd antitrust lunch is scheduled on Thursday 19 February 2015 at Confindustria Bruxelles (Av. de la Joyeuse Entrée 1 – 1040 Bruxelles – Metro Schuman).
The speaker Dr. Henning Leupold – member of the Competition Team of the Legal Service of the European Commission – will give a presentation in English on:
“Restrictions ‘by object’ after Groupement des Cartes Bancaires – much ado about nothing?”
An intense debate has followed the adoption by the Court of the judgment Groupement des Cartes Bancaires on 11 September 2014. The judgment concerns the conditions that need to be present to justify the finding of a restriction of competition law “by object”. Some have argued that this judgment creates a new – stricter – legal test which will limit the application by the Commission of the concept of “restrictions by object”. Others believe that this judgment simply reiterates and clarifies in a systematic way findings of previous case-law. Others still have questions as to the difference between “by object” and “by effect” infringements. This presentation will first analyse the criteria for the finding of a restriction “by object” and it will then offer an interpretation of the main issues raised by the judgment and present a possible way forward.
Dr. Henning Leupold is a member of the European Commission’s Legal Service where he works in the Competition Team. Previously, he spent five years at DG Competition, for the most part in the antitrust case support and policy unit, where he was mainly dealing with the IT, Internet and consumer electronics industries. He was also involved in the review of the European Commission’s competition policy on horizontal co-operation agreements of 2011. Prior to joining the Commission in 2008, he practised competition law in an international law firm. Dr. Henning is the author of numerous articles and book contributions on various competition law topics. He has a Ph.D. degree in law from the University of Passau, Germany, and a Masters degree from the London School of Economics, London.
Refreshments will be provided at 12.30, the presentation will begin at 13.00 and will finish at 14:15 at the latest.
Entrance is free for antitrustitalia members. For non-members, there will be a fee of €15 to cover the cost of the lunch.
