XLVI Competition Law Scholars Forum Workshop (CLaSF)
Digital Markets, AI, and the Future of Competition Law
Friday 25 September 2026
Roma Tre University Law School
Via Ostiense 163 – Sala del Consiglio
Programme
09:00–09:15 Registration and coffee
09:15–09:30 Welcome and Introduction:
Barry J. Rodger (CLaSF, University of Strathclyde) and Margherita Colangelo (Roma Tre University)
9:30–11:30 Digital Markets and Regulation, including DMA
Chair: Francisco Marcos, IE Law School
Manuel Abarca, Diego Portales University
Digital Nascent Markets
Lazar Radic, IE University
From Market Oversight to Market Ordering: The DMA and the New Political Economy of Competition
Matteo Ortino, Università degli Studi di Verona
Simplifying Without Reducing: The Meta Judgment and the Regulation of Complex Digital Systems
Alexandru Sotropa, Vrije Universiteit
Reshaping enforcement in the Digital world: Increasing the collaboration between authorities
Dimitrij Nastevski, Bona Fide
Competition Law and Digital Markets in the Western Balkans: Regulatory and Enforcement Challenges
Blen Beka, University of Milan
The Institutional Resilience of the DMA in the Age of Geopolitical Retaliation
Dionysios Pelekis, Utrecht University
Foundation Models and/as Essential Facilities
Zlatina Georgieva, Utrecht University
Cohering Article 102 Defences and DMA Offences
11:30–11:50 Coffee Break
11:50–13:15 Algorithmic Pricing & AI
Chair: Marilena Filippelli, Sapienza University Faculty of Law
Manuel Contreras, Universidad Carlos III (Madrid)
Algorithm pricing collusion under EU competition law: “known knowns”, “known unknowns” and “unknown unknowns”
Miroslava Marinova, University of East London
From Exploitative Abuse to Regulation: Algorithmic Personalized Pricing in AI-Driven Markets
Andrea Pascale, Trainee Lawyer, Cintioli Associati
Collusion Without Consent: Rethinking Antitrust Liability for Autonomous Pricing Algorithms
Arianna Andreangeli, University of Edinburgh
Markets, AI and algorithm-driven anti-competitive practices: Is the law always “certain” and the consequences for its infringement always “predictable”?
Behrang Kianzad, Malmö University
Unfair Algorithmic Pricing and Corrective Fairness- Re-reading United Brands for AI-Driven Markets
13:15–14:15 Lunch
14:15–15:25 AI and Competition
Chair: Margherita Colangelo, Roma Tre University Law School
Wilson Seraine da Silva Neto, Universidade do Lisboa
Big techs and digital ecosystems: tying generative AI systems as an abuse of dominant position
Christophe Carugati, Digital Competition
Are Competition Rules Suited for Agentic AI?
Klaus Wiedermann, Max Planck Institute for Innovation & Competition
Agentic AI and Consumer Autonomy
Anush Ganesh, Leeds University
Capturing AI Competition Concerns: Designation as the First Step under the DMA and the DMCCA
15:25-15:45 Coffee Break
15:45-16:55 Digital Mergers
Chair: Angus MacCulloch, Lancaster University Law School
Max Van Iersel, Tilburg University
The Concentration Concept & the Limits of Interpretation: Reverse Acquihires & Centaur Investments under Article 3 EUMR
Carla-Elena Sava, University of Oxford
A Merger Control Assessment of Big Tech’s Acqui-Hires through Carl Shapiro’s Principles
Francesca De Luca, Università degli studi di Teramo
Powering the AI stack: Hardware Mergers under EU Competition Law
Richard Bunworth, Trinity College Dublin
Merger Control and Digital Markets in the UK – A Case of Mixed Messaging?
16:55-17:30 Advanced Issues
Chair: Barry J. Rodger, University of Strathclyde
Liana Japaridze, University of Glasgow
Competition Law as an Enabler for Effective Operation of Regulatory Sandboxes in the Fintech Sector – Case Studies from Singapore, Brazil and the UK
Camilla Signoretta, European University Institute (EUI)
Towards an Integrated Fair Remuneration Standard in Between EU Competition Policy, Digital Markets Regulation and Copyright Law in the Age of AI
17:30 Closing Remarks
20:00 Speakers’ Dinner