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61 competition officials, economists, lawyers, and consultants participate in Competition Economics: Abuse of Dominance course

From March 21-24, 2012, the Barcelona School of Economics held the second edition of its continuing education course on Competition Economics: Abuse of Dominance. A total of 61 participants from 16 countries in both public and private sectors attended the course, which was directed by Prof. Massimo Motta (ICREA-UPF and BSE) and Prof. Giulio Federico (Chief Economist Team, DG-Competition, European Commission). The other course instructors were Prof. Jorge Padilla (Compass Lexecon) and Prof. Chiara Fumagalli (Bocconi University).

Course sessions covered topics such as Prediation, Rebates, and Exclusive Dealing, as well as case studies on intellectual property rights and energy.

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Targeted continuing education courses for professionals

The Abuse of Dominance course is part of the BSE's continuing education offer for professionals. The course is intensive and very focused so that participants can make the most of their short time on campus.

"The course dealt exceptionally well with key issues in abuse of dominance in such restricted time," said Bongisa Lekezwa, a junior economist at the Competition Commission of South Africa. "Integrating economics and law gave a holistic view of the conducts," she noted.

Law professionals also appreciated the integrated view that the course provided. "As a lawyer, I thought the course was very useful," said Irina Göransson, a senior case officer at the Swedish Competition Authority. "Importantly, my colleagues who are economists thought the same. The lively discussions involving both economists and lawyers is proof of the fact that the course succeeded in capturing the interest of both groups, which can often be difficult."

Both Ms. Lekezwa and Ms. Göransson mentioned how valuable it was to them to learn from experienced authorities in competition. "The lecturers have themselves been involved in many of the important cases in different jurisdictions," Ms. Göransson remarked.

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South African economist Bongisa Lekezwa (far left) appreciated the integrated view of law and economics that the course provided.
 

Diverse experiences enrich class discussions

Among the 61 participants in this edition of the Abuse of Dominance course were senior associates, area directors, rapporteurs and expert economists with over 20 years of experience, as well as junior analysts and case handlers just starting to build experience in the field.

A large number of participants came from government regulation or competition authorities, while others came from offices in specific sectors, including the Brazilian Oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency and Ofcom, the British telecommunications office. The private sector was well-represented as well, with participants from consulting firms like KPMG and Copenhaguen Economics, companies like Hewlett-Packard, and law firms in Colombia and Spain. Several institutions that sent participants to the course last year did so again this year.

Nearly 75% of participants came from outside Spain. Among these, countries with the most participants were South Africa (8) and Mexico (6). Czech Republic, Denmark and the Faroe Islands, and the United Kingdom sent four course participants each. A total of 16 countries were represented.

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Irina Göransson (front center) is a senior case officer at the Swedish Competition Authority. She was glad to review recent case-law with lecturers who were directly involved in the cases.
 

Employers and Institutions of 2012 Abuse of Dominance Participants

Government agencies

  • ANP - Agência Nacional do Petróleo, Gás Natural e Biocombustíveis (Brazil)
  • ANTT - Agencia Nacional de Transportes Terrestres (Brazil)
  • Antimonopoly Office of the Slovak Republic
  • Chilean Competition Tribunal 
  • Competition Commission of South Africa
  • EL&I - Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation
  • European Commission, DG Competition
  • Gazdasáh Versenyuivatal - Hungarian Competition Authority
  • Kappingareftirlitið - The Faroese Competition Authority
  • Konkurransetilsynet – Norwegian Competition Authority
  • Konkurrenswverket, Swedish Competition Authority 
  • Mexican Competition Commission
  • NMa - Dutch Competition Authority
  • OfCom - UK Telecommunications Office
  • Office for the Protection of Competition of Czech Republic
  • Spanish Competition Commission

Consulting firms

  • Copenhaguen Economics (Denmark)
  • Genesis Analytics (South Africa)
  • KPMG (UK)
  • Microeconomix (France)
  • Oxera Consulting (UK)

Law firms

  • Gómez-Pinzón Zuleta Abogados (Colombia)
  • Gomez Acebo & Pombo Abogados (Spain)

Other private companies

  • Hewlett Packard Española (Spain)
  • Slovenské Elektrárne (Slovakia)

Academia

  • Masaryk University (Czech Republic)
  • Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
  • Universitat Rovira i Virgili

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Course Faculty

 

Abuse of Dominance Course

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