

3 – 14 July 2023
The 2023 edition of the Competition Summer School took place in person and was organised in cooperation with the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium. This year’s programme for Chinese officials kicked off on 3 until the 14 July.
On 4 June, participants from all the partner countries joined for a visit to the European Commission Directorate-General for Competition, during which several sessions and discussions and exchanges will take place between the Asian and EU officials.
This year’s Competition Summer School programme has been designed to give participants specific insights into a number of new European Commission developments and the opportunity to explore the EU’s approach to a range of “hot topics” facing competition enforcers, including the role and contribution of competition law and policy in the context of the European Commission’s initiatives on the green economy, the digital economy, and competition cases in these areas. The programmes also explored the review and amendments to existing Commission guidelines, or the new European Digital Markets Act. As in previous years, presenters focused on aspects of these topics likely to be of most interest to the partner countries. The programme combined workshops and lectures with a mix of academics, practitioners and case officers from the European Commission and EU Member State competition authorities, panel debates between enforcers from Asia and Europe to discuss their experiences, keynote speeches and interviews.
The Competition Summer School enabled exchanges of experiences, facilitated cooperation and coordination amongst the participating authorities, as well as increased and deepened the contacts with European officials and professionals.
Monday 8 July 2019
Bruges, Belgium
08:30-09:00: Welcome to the College of Europe & Presentation of the Programme
09:00-10:30: Institutions & decision-making in the EU (I)
Mihail KRITIKOS
10:30-10:45: Tea break
10:45-12:00: Institutions & decision-making in the EU (II)
Mihail KRITIKOS
12:00-14:00: Lunch
14:00-15:45: Objectives of EU competition law
Michael ALBERS
15:45-16:00: Tea break
16:00-17:30: Instruments of EU competition law
Michael ALBERS
19:00: Dinner
Tuesday 9 July 2019
Brussels, Belgium
07:00: Transfer by bus to Brussels
09:30-09:50: Welcome to DG Competition
Torben TOFT, Senior Expert, International Relations, DG COMP A5 – International Relations
09:50-10:30: DG Competition enforcement priority setting
Dag JOHANSSON, Policy Coordinator, DG COMP 04 – Strategy, Delivery and Evaluation
10:35-11:15: EU antitrust/cartel enforcement
Konrad SCHUMM, Senior Expert in Competition, DG COMP G – Cartels
11:20-12:00: EU merger review
Professor Dr Stephan SIMON, Senior Expert Mergers, DG COMP F – Transport, Post and other services
12:00-13:00: Individual lunch
13:30-14:10: EU state aid policy
Koen VAN DE CASTEELE, Head of Unit, DG COMP O3 – State aid Policy and Case support
14:15-14:55: European Competition Network – DG COMP’s work with national courts
Konstantina STROUVALI, Deputy Head of Unit, DG COMP A4 – European Competition Network and Private Enforcement
14:55-15:05: Coffee break
15:05-16:00: Court of Justice of the European Union
Vivien TERRIEN, Legal Secretary, General Court of the European Union
16:05-17:00: Defending competition decisions before the Courts
Nicholas KHAN QC, Member of the Legal Service, European Commission Legal Service
17:00-18:00: Closing session followed by a reception hosted by DG COMP
Cecilio MADERO VILLAREJO, Deputy Director-General, Antitrust and Mergers
18:00: Transfer by bus to Bruges
20:00: Dinner
Wednesday 10 July 2019
Bruges, Belgium
09:00-10:30: Competition policy and fundamentals of EU competition law (I)
Sandra MARCO COLINO
10:30-10:45: Tea break
10:45-12:00: Competition policy and fundamentals of EU competition law (II)
Sandra MARCO COLINO
12:00-14:00: Lunch
14:00-15:45: Analysis of recent cases: Facebook and internet-related cases
Sandro GLEAVE
15:45-16:00: Tea break
16:00-17:30: Analysis of recent cases: Facebook and internet-related cases
Sandro GLEAVE
19:00: Dinner
Thursday 11 July 2019
Bruges, Belgium
09:00-10:30: Article 101 – Vertical restraints (I)
Fundamentals
Andrea HAMILTON
10:30-10:45: Tea break
10:45-12:00: Article 101 – Vertical restraints (II)
Case study
Andrea HAMILTON
12:00-14:00: Lunch
14:00-15:45: Article 101 – Horizontal restraints (fundamentals) (I)
Jacques BOURGEOIS
15:45-16:00: Tea break
16:00-17:30: Article 101 – Horizontal restraints (fundamentals) (II)
Jacques BOURGEOIS
19:00: Dinner
Friday 12 July 2019
Bruges, Belgium
09:00-10:30: Article 101 – Horizontal restraints (III)
Cartel case studies
Sofia VASILEIOU
10:30-10:45: Tea break
10:45-12:00: Article 101 – Horizontal restraints (IV)
Cartel case studies
Sofia VASILEIOU
12:00-14:00: Lunch
14:00-15:45: Economics of competition law (I)
Enrique ANDREU
15:45-16:00: Tea break
16:00-17:30: Economics of competition law (II)
Enrique ANDREU
19:00: Dinner
Monday 15 July 2019
Bruges, Belgium
09:00-10:30: State aid control (fundamental) (I)
Phedon NICOLAIDES
10:30-10:45: Tea break
10:45-12:00: State aid control (fundamentals) (II)
Phedon NICOLAIDES
12:00-14:00: Lunch
14:00-15:45: State aid control (procedures and enforcement) (III)
Phedon NICOLAIDES
15:45-16:00: Tea break
16:00-17:30: State aid control (procedures and enforcement) (IV)
Phedon NICOLAIDES
19:00: Dinner
Tuesday 16 July 2019
Bruges, Belgium
09:00-10:30: State aid control (recovery of aid and judicial review) (V)
Phedon NICOLAIDES
10:30-10:45: Tea break
10:45-12:00: State aid control (transparency and evaluation) (VI)
Phedon NICOLAIDES
12:00-14:00: Lunch
14:00-15:45: State aid control (case studies and discussion) (VII)
Ramona IANUS
15:45-16:00: Tea break
16:00-17:30: State aid control (case studies and discussion) (VIII)
Ramona IANUS
19:00: Dinner
Wednesday 17 July 2019
Bruges, Belgium
09:00-10:30: Mergers and acquisitions (fundamentals) (I)
Francisco-Enrique G. DIAZ
10:30-10:45: Tea break
10:45-12:00: Mergers and acquisitions (specific issues) (II).
Francisco-Enrique G. DIAZ
12:00-14:00: Lunch
14:00-15:45: Mergers and acquisitions (procedure and remedies) (III)
Case studies
Francisco-Enrique G. DIAZ
15:45-16:00: Tea break
16:00-17:30: Article 106 – public and privileged undertakings (fundamentals) & Competition Advocacy (I)
Jose Luis BUENDIA
19:00: Dinner
Thursday 18 July 2019
Bruges, Belgium
09:00-10:30: Article 106 – public and privileged undertakings & Competition Advocacy (II)
Practical examples
Jose Luis BUENDIA
10:30-10:45: Tea break
10:45-12:00: Article 102 – Abuse of dominant position (fundamentals) (I)
Werner BERG
12:00-14:00: Lunch
14:00-15:45: Article 102 – Abuse of dominant position (II)
Werner BERG
15:45-16:00: Tea break
16:00-17:30: Article 102 – Abuse of dominant position (III)
Case studies
Massimiliano KADAR
19:00: Dinner
Friday 19 July 2019
Bruges, Belgium
09:00-10:30: Anti-trust procedure – Regulation 1/2003 (fundamentals) (I)
Alfonso LAMADRID
10:30-10:45: Tea break
10:45-12:00: Anti-trust procedure – Regulation 1/2003 (case study) (II)
Alfonso LAMADRID
12:00-14:00: Lunch
14:00-15:45: Digital economy and competition law (I)
Sandra MARCO COLINO
15:45-16:00: Tea break
16:00-17:00: Digital economy and competition law (II)
Sandra MARCO COLINO
17:00-17:30: Official Closure & Awarding of Certificates
19:00: Dinner