Expelling the Economists from EU Merger Control

Senior Managing Director and Head of EMEA, Jorge Padilla, contributed to Competition Policy International‘s December 2023 Antitrust Chronicle with an article titled ‘Expelling the Economists from EU Merger Control’.

Abstract

In this essay I discuss the claims and evidence in a recent paper, which has received significant attention in the media and the policy debate. The paper finds that “hired economic consultancies” play a key role in a new lobbying strategy – spamming DG Comp with submissions of low quality in order to exploit the regulator’s limited resources and the informal requirement to respond to all submissions.

I review the empirical analyses allegedly supporting the conclusion. I then discuss the likely implications of the policy measures that are being advocated in light of such findings. I conclude with a few constructive ideas about how to improve the way in which economics and economists contribute to the enforcement of competition law.

Read the full article here

This article was originally published by Competition Policy International here. The views expressed in this paper are the sole responsibility of the author and cannot be attributed to Compass Lexecon or any other parties.

Jorge Padilla, Expelling Economists from EU Merger Control, Competition Policy International, December 2023 Antitrust Chronicle, https://www.pymnts.com/cpi_pos...