On 24 September 2026, I had the pleasure of attending the 4th Annual UK Digital Markets Competition Regulation Forum at Carpenters’ Hall, London. Hosted by Thought Leaders 4 Competition and chaired by Verity Egerton-Doyle (Linklaters) and Tom Smith (Geradin Partners), the event once again brought together lawyers, enforcers and industry experts. The conference agenda covered almost every corner of the UK’s digital markets enforcement regime, from the current state of CMA’s SMS investigations and conduct requirements to consumer protection enforcement, private enforcement and the role of the CAT and courts. I left the conference with plenty to reflect on, and here are some highlights from the day:
Conference Debrief: Highlights from the Concurrences Innovation Ecosystem Conference
The Concurrences Innovation Ecosystem: Legal and Economic Perspectives Conference was held on 16 March 2026 at Kings College, London. The conference brought together senior competition practitioners, regulators, judges, and academics to discuss pressing issues in UK and EU competition law across panels on merger control reform, digital markets regulation, cartel enforcement, EU-UK cooperation, and class […]
Highlights from The Economist’s Antitrust Summit 2026
The Economist’s Antitrust Summit 2026, held on 26 February 2026 in City Hall, Westminster, brought together a formidable gathering of competition authority heads, senior regulators, practitioners, and industry representatives to take stock of the evolving global competition landscape. Co-chaired by Tamzin Booth, Editorial Director (B2B) at The Economist Group, and Jan Piotrowski, Finance and Economics […]
Ex ante but Insufficient? The Commission’s Five AI Investigations Launched in Just 22 Days
AI markets are booming across Europe and beyond, and competition and innovation in this sector have sparked extensive discussions worldwide. In just 22 days, the European Commission announced five investigations into artificial intelligence (‘AI’) related services, though not under the same regulatory framework. The investigations into Meta AI and Google AI Overview and AI Mode […]
This is no big deal: Europe must stand strong on Big Tech
Europe must stand strong on Big Tech and enforce the DMA, say Monika Schnitzer and Rupprecht Podszun. They also argue in favour of an independent European enforcement agency.
Meta’s Less-personalised Ads: A Compliance Facade?
Meta has introduced a new free subscription option with less personalised ads for Facebook and Instagram. Is this the end of behavioural advertising or a showcase of illusive compliance? Sebastian Steinert analyses Meta’s tactics to protect its data-driven business model based on behavioural advertising. By Sebastian Steinert “We want to empower citizens to be […]
Pay not OK? ‘Pay-or-consent models’ – where the GDPR, DMA and DSA meet
The news that Facebook and Instagram could become paid services sent shockwaves throughout the masses of influencers and other social media enthusiasts. Would they really have to pay a monthly fee starting at 12 euros for their daily fix of reels, posts and pictures? Fortunately for Europe’s young and trendy, the subscription model is not […]
Changes for end users after the DMA (so far…)
Ever since March 8, 2024, a new form of communication has swamped our mobile phones. Friends and family send screenshots with message like this: “I saw this on my phone today. Is this what you talked about with this Digital Mobile Act?“ The pictures show choice screens or consent forms. Okay, to be honest: We […]
A Week of Workshops: Observations from the DMA Compliance Workshops
The workshops: informative, transformative (and performative?) What a week and what a kickstart for the DMA! We listened to six DMA Compliance workshops, where the designated gatekeepers discussed the changes that they have made to their core platform services, answered questions, and received comments from a wide range of stakeholders. After 5 of them, quasi […]
Compliance time! Categorizing Risks of Compliance Failures in the DMA
It’s compliance time! On the 7th of March, the first designated gatekeepers had to start complying with the substantive provisions of the DMA. The European Commission’s anticipation of this moment was characterised by their official DMA countdown clock. Around the time the clock ran out, the gatekeepers published the non-confidential summaries of their compliance reports. […]