Chillin'Competition

Decades may have passed, but the FIDE Congress remains an (the) inescapable reference for those interested in EU law matters. This year’s gathering, in Sofia (Bulgaria), will be the 30th (!). The stellar programme of the event (to take place between 31st May and 3rd June) can be found here. And information on how to register, here.

This year’s edition has all the ingredients behind the success of past congresses: topics at the cutting edge of developments in EU law, stellar (general and institutional) rapporteurs and an unparalleled line-up of speakers (including the President of the Court of Justice and the General Court as well as the Presidents of the Constitutional Courts of several Member States and of Ukraine).

As per the tradition, one of the topics is devoted to competition-related matters. This year’s (The new geopolitical dimension of the EU competition and trade policies) focuses on the ongoing shift in competition law and trade policies. It is not a secret that changes underway at the global level (reshoring of manufacturing, decline of multilateralism and geopolitical tensions) invites us to rethink how competition and State aid provisions are interpreted are enforced in practice.

The topic is in the expert hands of Jean-François Bellis and Isabelle van Damme (Van Bael & Bellis, General Rapporteurs) and Ben Smulders (European Commission, Institutional Rapporteur). If you browse the programme, you will get an idea of the various angles they take (industrial policy, sustainability, foreign direct investment, supply chains) on the ongoing shifts. The publication that invariably follows each Congress will be one to keep an eye on.

Topics 1 (Mutual Trust, Mutual Recognition and the Rule of Law) and 2 (European Social Union), by the way. promise to be fascinating too (no less because discussions will be led by top academics and practitioners).

The event’s dedicated website is pretty detailed, but the organisers will be delighted to answer any questions you may have.