The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) and Ireland’s Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment co-hosted a European Competition Day event on 28 October at the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin. The event formed part of Ireland’s European Union Presidency and brought together competition authorities, policymakers, academics and industry leaders to consider how competition policy should respond to Europe’s changing economic landscape and help markets deliver for consumers.

Speakers included Ireland’s Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke; Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition; and Anthony Whelan, the newly appointed Irish Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition. Former chair of Ireland’s Competition Authority and the UK’s Office of Fair Trading, John Fingleton, also addressed attendees.

Burke said competitive markets can lower prices, expand consumer choice and encourage businesses to innovate, while stressing the importance of a fair and level playing field that does not unnecessarily hinder trade or economic value. Ribera warned against Europe becoming dependent on a small number of companies for technologies that will shape its economy and society, and linked competition to affordability and choice amid inflation and persistently high prices.

CCPC Chair Brian McHugh said competition authorities should maintain a level playing field rather than select successful companies, arguing that competitive pressure is important even for growing European businesses. The event included panel discussions on the benefits of competition, enforcement in digital markets and the future of merger control, with the heads of the Austrian, Belgian and Lithuanian competition authorities participating.