The ninth annual Cartel Law Moot Court was staged on 2 June 2023 by the Austrian Federal Competition Authority (AFCA) in association with the law firm DORDA Rechtsanwälte GmbH and the European Law Students’ Association (ELSA) Austria.
Students put their debating skills and legal knowledge to the test before a mock Cartel Court.
The eleven teams were mentored by the following law firms, which also helped them prepare for the oral hearing:
- Team University of Vienna 1, mentored by Schönherr
- Team University of Vienna 2, mentored by DLA Piper
- Team University of Vienna 3, mentored by SMS Law
- Team University of Vienna 4, mentored by Wolf Theiss
- Team University of Vienna 5, mentored by Taylor Wessing
- Team University of Vienna 6, mentored by EY Law
- Team University of Vienna 7, mentored by Reidlinger Schatzmann
- Team Vienna University of Economics and Business 1, mentored by Haslinger Nagele
- Team Universities of Salzburg/Linz/Graz, mentored by Burgstaller & Partner
- Team University of Salzburg 1, mentored by CERHA HEMPEL
- Team Universities of Innsbruck/Graz, mentored by Binder Grösswang.
As in previous years, students competed for the Best Team and Best Speaker titles. This year’s contestants again showed excellent argumentation and debating skills, with the panel assessing the legal and factual analysis presented in the teams’ written statements, as well as the students’ teamwork and time management during the oral hearing.
The AFCA congratulates Best Speaker Adrian Müry (Team Universities of Salzburg/Linz/Graz) and Best Team, Team University of Salzburg (Marie-Christin Prechtl, Pia Möslinger-Gehmayr, Tania Veronica Loderbauer and Julia Helminger) for their outstanding achievements.
“It gives me great pleasure that our Cartel Law Moot Court, which we first held almost a decade ago, continues to be so successful. We have been especially impressed by the growing number of students wishing to take part, which is why we admitted larger teams this year. I would like to thank my own colleagues and our co-organisers for putting together and running such a successful event. I would also like to express warm thanks to First Vice-President of the European Parliament, Othmar Karas, for attending today,” said Interim Director General Natalie Harsdorf-Borsch.
“European cartel law ensures fair competition. It gives consumers greater choice and lower prices, allowing markets within the European Union to operate efficiently. The young lawyers who participate in this Cartel Law Moot Court get a unique opportunity to put their theoretical knowledge into practice. I look forward to being part of the Austrian finals this year, where I will also deliver the keynote,” added First Vice-President of the European Parliament Othmar Karas.