The 2025 Spring Meeting of the ABA Antitrust Law Section offered the Our Curious Amalgam team a chance to speak with competition law enforcers from around the world. In this episode, host Matthew Hall asks Olivier Guersent, Director-General of the Directorate-General for Competition of the European Commission (DG COMP), about what’s been happening in the European Union since we interviewed him at the 2024 Spring Meeting. Listen and learn about DG COMP’s current and recent work and what competition law policy and enforcement trends the Director-General sees on the horizon.

With special guest:

Olivier Guersent, Director-General, Directorate-General for Competition, European Commission

Related Links:

European Commission DG COMP website
2024 Spring Meeting interview with Olivier Guersent
2023 Spring Meeting interview with Olivier Guersent
2022 Spring Meeting interview with Olivier Guersent

Hosted by:

Matthew Hall, McGuireWoods London LLP

We are seeing some swirling changes to the marketplace and international trade that affect prices of goods and services in our daily lives. How can economics help us cope and understand underlying concepts such as cost pass-through? Anne Catherine Faye, Vice President at Analysis Group, speaks to James Hunsberger and Anora Wang about inflation, tariffs, and junk fees, as well as her experience as the first economist to serve as Counsel to the Chair of the ABA Antitrust Section. Listen to this episode to see key antitrust issues on the horizon through an economic lens.

With special guest:

Anne Catherine Faye, Vice President, Analysis Group, Inc.

Related Links:

Robert A Ritz, Does competition increase pass-through? The RAND Journal of Economics, 55: 140-165 (2024)

Jason Douglas et al., How Much Do Tariffs Raise Prices? The Wall Street Journal (Mar. 2, 2025)

Hosted by:

Anora Wang, Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP and James Hunsberger, Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider LLP

The UK government elected in 2024 has a "growth" agenda and is pushing regulators including the UK Competition and Markets Authority to support this. What does the approach mean for the CMA? Veronica Roberts, lawyer at Herbert Smith Freehills, joins Blair Matthews and Matthew Hall to discuss the wide range of recent announcements and proposals from the CMA and government. Listen to this episode to learn more about the CMA's future approach to enforcement of the UK merger control, antitrust, consumer protection and digital markets rules.

With special guest:

Veronica Roberts, lawyer, Herbert Smith Freehills

Related Links:

UK government policy paper, "New approach to ensure regulators and regulation support growth", 17 March 2025

UK Competition and Markets Authority, "Mergers: Evolving the CMA's approach", 12 March 2025

UK government consultation, "Strategic steer to the Competition and Markets Authority", 13 February 2025

UK Competition and Markets Authority blog post, "New CMA proposals to drive growth, investment and business confidence", 13 February 2025

Hosted by:

Blair West Matthews, Cleary Gottlieb and Matthew Hall, McGuireWoods London LLP