2009 promises to be a critical year in the development of competition policy as the two senior antitrust enforcement agencies come under new management – the first almost simultaneous changeover in nearly a decade.US President Barack Obama's choice as Assistant Attorney General at the Department of Justice will have far-reaching implications for global antitrust. Received wisdom indicates that a Democrat administration's antitrust enforcement will prove more aggressive.Big changes are also expected in Europe as Neelie Kroes' term ends as Commissioner for Competition in November, by which time there will be a new Director General for Competition.Chaired by Richard Whish, Professor of Law at King's College London, this conference, organised jointly by GCR and LBR, will bring together top enforcers from the US, the European Commission and the UK's Office of Fair Trading, in addition to senior competition law specialists from industry and private practice. In a series of panel discussions on three key topics: abuse of dominance, mergers and antitrust litigation, recognised competition law experts from both sides of the Atlantic will analyse the recent past and take a practical look at where competition enforcement may converge or diverge in 2009 and beyond:
- What is the approach towards State aid in Europe and the US?
- Are there fundamental differences in law and enforcement policies between the EC and US on single firm conduct?
- Will there be more intervention in merger control under the new US administration?
- How is the economic crisis influencing the approach to mergers on both sides of the Atlantic at the US Federal and EU Commission levels?
- What sorts of merger activity are we seeing / can we expect to see?
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