Current Issues of Competition and Regulation in the European Electronic Communications Sector

Target group
The seminar is intended mainly for officials from competition and regulatory authorities, as well as practitioners, academics and industry executives.

Description
Electronic communications in the EU are now governed by the new set of rules introduced by the Better Regulation Directive and the Citizens’ Rights Directive, which are in the process of being implemented by the Member States. The revised rules must be applied against the background of a continuing financial crisis, significant shifts within the digital industry, as well as new markets and opportunities opened up by technology and convergence. At the same time, competition law and state aid rules continue to play a key complementary role in Europe, in areas such as the concentration of new market power in the digital economy and the public financing of major broadband projects.

Objectives
The seminar will focus on key issues requiring a regulatory response in the new market landscape. Through presentations and discussion sessions, it aims to provide expert updates and insights on areas such as the application of state aid rules to broadband; competition and state aid issues arising in the context of spectrum (re)allocation procedures; regulatory strategies/ models for Next Generation Access Networks (NGANs); or the latest developments with regard to margin squeeze and other anti-competitive practices. With regard to Internet issues, it will examine questions such as Europe’s position on net neutrality, recent competition cases involving major Internet market players, and the liability of Internet “intermediaries” for intellectual property rights infringement. By providing a wide overview of key regulatory issues in the electronic communications industry, the seminar will allow participants to gain insights into a broad spectrum of interrelated issues in the digital economy.

Method
The speakers come from different backgrounds and include European Commission and national officials, academics, legal practitioners and economists offering a range of views and perspectives. Each speaker will prepare comprehensive documentation for distribution to the participants. EIPA will provide the participants with the relevant background material and documentation required for the seminar. The seminar will be conducted in English. The seminar is organised by EIPA and will take place at its conference facilities in Maastricht, the Netherlands.