Modernising EU competition policy: from guidelines to outcomes

This special edition of Top of the Agenda was recorded at our 2026 Brussels conference, which hosted senior figures from the European Commission, national competition authorities, academics and the legal community to discuss one of the most significant developments in EU competition policy in two decades: the revision of the EC Merger Guidelines.

This episode covers three main themes that came out of the conference conversations: what adopting a more dynamic assessment really means in practice; the new approach to efficiencies and why the guidelines are now encouraging merging parties to change their behaviour, not just their paperwork; and the role of competition enforcement in a world where European competitiveness, scale, and innovation have become more urgent political priorities.

Francesca Sala, Oxera Partner, presents extracts from speakers at the event including: Linsey McCallum, Deputy Director General of DG COMP; Emanuele Tarantino, DG COMP’s Chief Economist; Daniele Calisti, the Head of Merger Policy at DG COMP; Anna Lyle-Smythe, Partner at Slaughter and May; Volker Nocke, Professor of Economics at the University of Mannheim; Griet Jans, Chief Economist of the Belgian Competition Authority; Martijn Snoep, Chairman of the Dutch Competition Authority; and Thibaud Vergé, Vice President of France’s Autorité de la concurrence.