The Cambridge Competition Law Discussion Group (CCLDG) was founded last year by PhD students Fola Pinheiro and Luz Daniel, who served as co-conveners of its inaugural programme. The group was created to provide a dedicated forum within the Cambridge Centre for European Legal Studies for sustained engagement with contemporary issues in competition law and policy. The CCLDG hosted an exceptional series of talks and book discussions throughout its first year.
We are deeply grateful to all the speakers who joined us to share their recent research and publications, and to the many participants whose questions and insights made every session a rich conversation.
Highlights from the 2024-2025 Programme
Pablo Ibáñez Colomo, 24 June 2024 — The New EU Competition Law (Hart/Bloomsbury, 2023)
Professor Ibáñez-Colomo inaugurated the series with a discussion of his landmark book, which charts the transformation of EU competition law in response to Big Tech and growing interaction with intellectual property. He analysed how legal doctrine is evolving beyond the consumer-welfare paradigm to address challenges arising from platforms, data, and regulatory overlap—offering a timely re-assessment of the direction and identity of EU competition law.
Amber Darr, 25 November 2024 — Competition Law in South Asia: Policy Diffusion and Transfer (Cambridge, 2023)
Dr Darr explored the diffusion of competition law across South Asian jurisdictions, explaining how global legal models are adapted to local institutional realities. Drawing on case studies from India and Pakistan, she illustrated why the transplantation of competition law succeeds or stalls, and what this reveals about the dynamics of regulatory reform in developing economies.
Alison Jones, 4 March 2025 — Combatting Corruption and Collusion in Public Procurement: A Challenge for Governments Worldwide (OUP, 2024)
Professor Jones presented her book (edited with William Kovacic), which examines the twin challenges of corruption and collusion in public procurement. The talk provided comparative insights from jurisdictions worldwide, outlining how competition law, anti-corruption frameworks, and sound procurement design can reinforce one another to safeguard public markets and trust in government.
Discussion on the Consumer Welfare Standard, 14 May 2025
The penultimate session of the academic year was a discussion among the students centred around a recent paper by Nicolas Petit and Lazar Radic titled "The Superiority of the Consumer Welfare Standard". While criticisms of the standard have become increasingly common in competition law discourse, this paper makes a strong case for why it should be upheld. The discussion critiqued the paper’s aims, arguments, and analysis, weighing it up against the Neo-Brandeisian critique of the consumer welfare standard.
Or Brook, 11 June 2025 — Non-Competition Interests in EU Antitrust Law: An Empirical Study of Article 101 TFEU (Cambridge, 2022)
Professor Brook concluded the year’s programme with a presentation of her groundbreaking empirical study of over 3,000 EU and national cases. Her research traces how non-competition interests—such as sustainability, fairness, and public policy—are recognised and balanced in practice, enriching debates about the scope and purpose of EU antitrust enforcement.
Looking forward
The CCLDG's first year reflected the breadth and vitality of contemporary competition law scholarship, from global diffusion and institutional design to empirical reassessment of core competition law principles. As such, we would like to extend our warmest thanks to all speakers, attendees, and supporters for making this inaugural year such a success.
As we begin a new academic year, we look forward to welcoming returning and new members to continue these discussions and explore emerging developments in competition law and policy. We are also delighted to welcome two new co-conveners, fellow PhD candidates Marina Iskander and Carissa Rudolfo.
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