The Pros and Cons of Sustainability Considerations
For the 20th time in a row, we are organising our international Pros and Cons conference, where academics and practitioners meet and discuss critical aspects of competition law and policy. Previous conferences, widely attended by enforcers, lawyers and consultants, have been greatly appreciated and we are certain that this year’s event will be no exception.
The theme of the 2022 conference is the Pros and Cons of Sustainability Considerations and will take place in Stockholm on Monday, May 30, 2022. The conference is free of charge.
The speakers represent the business community, enforcers, consultants and academics and we expect an intense and exciting exchange of ideas and a vivid debate.
Among these experts, many, but not all, share the view that competition law enforcement should be better at considering harms and benefits on sustainability, and especially those that relate to the climate crisis. How this can be done in practice is an area where views differ.
The debate is intense and the areas of consensus and disagreement are now appearing. Most would agree that the private sector has a key role to play and that the enforcement of competition rules cannot be allowed to obstruct much needed action to battle the climate crises. However, regarding the need for close collaboration between competitors to achieve sustainability benefits, as well as how to assess these, opinions differ.
The first is competition policy: is there a “sustainability gap” between the objectives of competition policy and the enforcement of its rules? Is the current approach to assessing cooperation between competing firms still appropriate? The Commission will present the latest from its current work to find a coherent strategy.
Secondly, we will listen to the industry. Collaborative initiatives are often motivated by a concern for the environment, but how do firms reconcile such concerns with the profit motive? How good are enforcers at assessing these initiatives and at providing efficient guidance regarding their interpretation of current competition legislation? To what extent can ex-ante regulation function as a substitute for private sustainability-related initiatives?
Thirdly, we will learn more from how competition agencies can incorporate sustainability considerations in the daily enforcement work. A pioneering agency will tell us more about its early experiences and challenges.
Fourth, and lastly, we will take a detailed look into the methodological toolbox of antitrust and explore whether it is capable for correctly assessing sustainability harms and benefits. What are the main challenges for enforcers, companies and courts to correctly balance sustainability effects into the enforcement of competition law?
| Time | Title |
|---|---|
| 8.30 | Registration and Coffee |
| 9.00 | Welcome address by Rikard Jermsten, Director General, Swedish Competition Authority |
| 9.05 | Introduction by the conference chair/moderator, Julian Nowag, Associate Prof, Faculty of Law, Lund University |
| 9.20 |
Is there a sustainability gap in the competition policy toolbox?
Olivier Guersent, Director General, European Commission, Directorate-General for Competition |
| 10.20 | Coffee break |
| 10.40 |
What is the business case for green? What is the appropriate role for competition policy?
Margarida Matos Rosa, President of the Portuguese Competition Authority Dirk Middelschulte, Global General Counsel Competition, Unilever |
| 12.00 | Lunch |
| 13.00 |
New emphasis on green in the daily enforcement work – what are the main challenges?
Martijn Snoep, Chairman of the Netherlands Authority for Consumers & Markets |
| 14.10 | Coffee break |
| 14.30 |
Quantification and balancing of sustainability harms and benefits in competition law – can it meet the economic and legal standard of proof?
Roman Inderst, Professor of Economics and Finance at the Goethe University Frankfurt |
| 15.50 | Conclusion and closing of conference |
| 16.00 | End |
Venue
The seminar venue is World Trade Center (Lecture hall: New York), Klarabergsviadukten 70. See map
Webcast
Follow the conference online here. The webinar is free and no registration is needed.
Questions
If you have any question regarding the conference, please do not hesitate to contact the content organiser Karl Lundvall (karl.lundvall@kkv.se) or the project manager Saba Zarrani (saba.zarrani@kkv.se).
The information on this website will continuously be updated.
Registration
The registration is closed.