Guest Lecture by Dr. Vitaly Pruzhansky:"Main theories of harm in merger control"

On Thursday, 15 January 2026, students from our European Economic Studies Department had the opportunity to explore the inner workings of EU merger control through a hands-on lecture with Dr. Vitaly PRUZHANSKY.

Drawing on EU Commission case law and evolving merger guidelines, the session took students beyond textbook theory to examine how competition authorities assess mergers in practice. 

From classic horizontal, vertical, and conglomerate effects to more nuanced and emerging theories of harm linked to innovation, ecosystems, and buyer power, the lecture offered a comprehensive look at today’s merger control toolkit at the crossroads of economic analysis, legal reasoning, and competition policy. 

We warmly thank Dr. Pruzhansky for this practice-oriented exchange, which provided our students with a concrete sense of how merger control plays out in real EU regulatory decision-making!

Photos of the Event