The event was attended by more than 170 participants and focused on three key areas. In the first part of the meeting, the economist Tomaso Duso, Professor at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) and Chair of the German Monopolies Commission, provided an overview of the developments in European competition over the last 25 years. His talk was followed by a Policy Round Table on pro-competition economic policy. Gabriel Felbermayr, Director of WIFO, Wolfgang Urbantschitsch, Executive Director of E-Control, and Silvia Hruška-Frank, Director of the Vienna Chamber of Labour, discussed policy issues. Angelika Kramer, journalist at the Trend magazine, moderated this discussion.
In the second part, Tina Søreide, Director General of the Norwegian competition authority, gave a keynote address on competition and industrial policy, in which she also shared considerations and experience from Norway. This was followed by a Leadership Round Table where Natalie Harsdorf, Director General of the AFCA, Thibaud Vergé, Vice President of the French competition authority, Martha Martinez Licetti, Practice Manager of the Global Markets, Competition, and Technology Unit at the World Bank Group, as well as Antonio Capobianco, Deputy Head of the OECD Competition Division, discussed visions in relation to the enforcement of competition law. Lewis Crofts from the MLex news service moderated the round table.
The final part was dedicated to data. Rupprecht Podszun from the Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf and Member of the German Monopolies Commission gave a keynote speech on the growing use of AI and its impact on competitiveness and fairness within the scope of the Digital Markets Act. Paulo Trezentos, CEO of Aptoide, an alternative Android app store, presented a business case and offered his corporate insight into the issue of digital regulation. Finally, Viktoria Robertson, Professor at the WU Wien, moderated the concluding discussion on competition policy in the era of digital change with Stefan Ruech, Department Head at the AFCA, Klaus Gugler, Professor at WU Wien, and Thomas Kramler, Head of Unit at the European Commission.
“Europe is at a crossroads with many issues, and many challenges ahead of it. Efficient competition policy and its effective enforcement can make a significant contribution to sustainable economic growth. But all of this also requires open debate, and competition of the best ideas,” insists Natalie Harsdorf, Director General of the AFCA.
“Strict and consistent competition policy is an absolute necessity for economies to stay competitive,” adds Klaus Gugler, Professor at the WU Wien.
“The most pressing economic problem in Austria and the EU is their low productivity growth, which is due to various factors, and this includes a lack of competition intensity. As well as having a positive effect on productivity, a stronger focus on competition might also strengthen the population’s purchasing power,“ concludes WIFO Director Gabriel Felbermayr.
