15th Annual Conference of the GCLC — "Vertical Restraints in the Digital Economy: VBER Reform and the Future of Distribution"

The Global Competition Law Centre thanks all who participated in the 15^th Annual Conference, entitled: "Vertical Restraints in the Digital Economy: VBER Reform and the Future of Distribution".

The event took place on 30-31 January 2020 at the Residence Palace in Brussels.

Vertical restraints, inasmuch as they relate to the conditions according to which participants in any value chain may purchase, sell or resell goods or services, are ubiquitous. Conversely, Article 101 TFEU and the Vertical Block Exemption Regulation (VBER) have had over time an enormous impact on the design of trading terms and conditions across the whole EU economy. That impact has been compelled by significant changes in the enforcement of Article 101 TFEU towards vertical restraints since the turn of the century, as enforcement moved into the hands of national competition authorities, for the most part, only recently arising renewed interest at EU level in the aftermath of the digital sector inquiry. The conference aimed to take stock of modernisation in the field of vertical restraints, its achievements and shortcomings, while eliciting solutions for the future, including in relation to new issues that have arisen as a result of digitisation, changing business models and political concerns about the sharing of profits across value chains.

Speakers included: Judge Ian Forrester (opening address), Pierre Régibeau (keynote speech), Yves Botteman (Slides), Aleksandra Boutin (Slides), Avantika Chowdhury (Slides), Adina Claici, Miranda Cole (Slides), Guillaume Duquesne (Slides), Niels Ersboll (Slides), Laurent Garzaniti, Damien Gerard, Pablo Ibanez Colomo (Slides), Alison Jones (Slides), Ioannis Lianos, Stanislas Martin, Bernd Meyring, Giorgio Monti (Slides), Luc Peeperkorn (Slides), Nicolas Petit (Slides), Jose Rivas, Marieke Scholz (Slides), Mario Siragusa, Martijn Snoep, Jacques Steenbergen, Thibaud Vergé (Slides), Denis Waelbroeck, Nils Wahl, Sabine Zigelski.

Programme

For more information, please contact us at info.gclc [at] coleurope.eu.