Filip Lubinski

EXPERT FORUM
Cornerstone Research ➕ Dynamic Competition Initiative

Dynamic Competition in Market Definition and Merger Review
Summary and Syllabus

On Monday, May 19, 2025, the Dynamic Competition Initiative (DCI) and Cornerstone Research organized a half-day expert forum from 12:00 PM to 6:45 PM, focusing on current trends and challenges in European competition and merger policy. The initiative got support from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Department of Law, European University Institute (EUI). The event began with a presentation featuring Guillaume Loriot of the Directorate-General for Competition, accompanied by Aviv Nevo of the University of Pennsylvania. Professor Nevo, who recently returned to academia after two years as Director of the Bureau of Economics at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, interviewed the Deputy Director-General about policy priorities for 2025 and beyond. This interview was followed by two speaker panels of academic, industry, regulatory, and private practice experts who shared insights on various topics, including the innovation-enhancing effects of mergers and the impact of market definition issues. If one were to summarize the event in one word, it would be ‘communication.’ Mr. Loriot emphasized that DG COMP, during public consultations on the review of the Merger Guidelines, seeks submissions and engagement from various stakeholders. The subsequent discussion involved speakers and guests from all backgrounds. This text outlines some of the key insights from these conversations.