8th TRADE Annual Conference / 12th Antitrust Annual Conference
Amsterdam, Netherlands
09 October 2025 - 11 October 2025
T.R.A.D.E track
Thursday 09 October 2025 | |
| 18:30 | Welcome reception and optional dinner More details to follow soon |
Friday 10 October 2025 | |
| 08:30 | Opening of the registration desk |
| 09:00 » 09:30 | Welcome address by the AIJA Bureau Representative, the Commission Officers and the Organising Committee |
| 09:30 » 10:00 | Keynote speech More details to follow soon |
| 10:00 » 11:00 | VBER Reloaded (broader perspective): Unpacking the latest VBER updates and the impact on digital markets Assess the overall impact of the 2022 Vertical Block Exemption Regulation (‘VBER’) and its accompanying Vertical Guidelines, and their implications for digital markets. This general overview will look at the latest developments and updates since the implementation of the VBER in 2022, with a particular focus on its relevance to distribution systems in the dynamic digital markets. We will seek thought-provoking discussions to assess whether the 2022 VBER has (so far) delivered on its promise to provide stakeholders with simpler, clearer and up-to-date rules and guidance in a business environment reshaped by the growth of online sales and by new market players such as online platforms, and to ensure a more harmonised application of the vertical rules across the European Union. |
| 11:00 » 11:30 | Coffee break |
| 11:30 » 12:30 | VBER In Focus (deep dive on specific issues): Addressing Key Challenges and Specific Issues Based on the general outlook of the VBER, this panel will delve into the nuanced challenges arising from it, focusing on specific issues such as parity obligations, geographic restrictions or exclusive and selective distribution models. Participants will gain insights into how these critical aspects are being applied and enforced across the EU, particularly in the digital world. The aim is to explore the practical implications for businesses navigating these new dynamics, share experiences and provide practical guidance and actionable insights on how to maintain compliance while optimizing offline and online distribution strategies. |
| 12:30 » 14:00 | Lunch |
| 14:00 » 14:30 | Commission meeting |
| 14:30 » 15:45 | From Concept to Compliance: Steering Clear of Legal Pitfalls in E-Commerce In a landscape where innovation meets intense scrutiny, this panel explores how e-commerce businesses can transform creative ideas into compliant, consumer-friendly practices. With recent cases highlighting the fine line between persuasive advertising and unfair practices, we will discuss legal pitfalls including areas like dark patterns or influencer marketing. Hear about best practices and how to balance cutting-edge e-commerce strategies with responsible, legally sound approaches. |
| 15:45 » 16:15 | Coffee break |
| 16:15 » 17:30 | Powering Digital Platforms: Building Resilient in Today’s Regulatory Landscape With the Digital Services Act (‘DSA’) reshaping the rules for e-commerce platforms for Europe, this panel addresses the critical challenges and strategies for launching and sustaining compliant, thriving digital platforms in a global environment. From ensuring safer content to managing regulatory tensions—like those seen between X and the European Commission or the recent actions against Temu—our discussion will focus on how platforms can adapt to regulatory demands around the world while promoting growth and innovation. |
| 20:00 | Dinner More details to follow soon |
Saturday 11 October 2025 | |
| 09:30 | Opening of the registration desk |
| 10:00 » 11:15 | Taming “Big Tech”: Will Small (and not so Small) Businesses ever be able to Thrive Online? This panel will explore recent and upcoming EU and international legislative developments, such as the EU Digital Markets Act (‘DMA’), which are transforming digital markets and redefining the boundaries of competition and commercial law. In particular, we will discuss the first year of compliance with the DMA by the first wave of designated gatekeepers, shedding light on the new challenges and opportunities for small and medium-sized companies active online. We will assess whether and how business users of large online platforms are benefiting (or not) from the way gatekeepers are (allegedly) complying with the new regulatory landscape. We will discuss best practices and how best to advise our clients so that they are empowered and can take full advantage of their new rights online. |
| 11:15 » 11:45 | Coffee break |
| 11:45 » 13:00 | Singing in an Oasis: Legal Challenges in Dynamic Pricing This panel will explore the strategic benefits of dynamic pricing—a flexible pricing model that allows companies to adjust prices for goods and services in real time based on demand, competition, seasonality, timing, and more. Unlike static pricing models, dynamic pricing allows companies to tailor their prices to individual customers and products, creating a competitive edge in rapidly changing markets, from ridesharing, to air travel and online retail. However, it also poses significant risks of facilitating collusion, which are being turbo-charged by the explosion of AI across online markets, leading to potentially widespread consumer harm. This panel will discuss both the significant benefits and high risks of dynamic pricing, and how regulators around the world are responding in a rapidly changing environment. |
| 13:00 » 13:15 | Closing Remarks |
| 13:15 » 14:30 | Lunch |
| 15:00 | Optional activity and dinner More details to follow soon |
Antitrust track
Thursday 09 October 2025 | |
| 18:30 | Welcome reception and optional dinner More details to follow soon |
Friday 10 October 2025 | |
| 08:30 | Opening of the registration desk |
| 09:00 » 09:30 | Welcome address by the AIJA Bureau Representative, the Commission Officers and the Organising Committee |
| 09:30 » 10:00 | Keynote speech More details to follow soon |
| 10:00 » 11:00 | VBER Reloaded (broader perspective): Unpacking the latest VBER updates and the impact on digital markets Assess the overall impact of the 2022 Vertical Block Exemption Regulation (‘VBER’) and its accompanying Vertical Guidelines, and their implications for digital markets. This general overview will look at the latest developments and updates since the implementation of the VBER in 2022, with a particular focus on its relevance to distribution systems in the dynamic digital markets. We will seek thought-provoking discussions to assess whether the 2022 VBER has (so far) delivered on its promise to provide stakeholders with simpler, clearer and up-to-date rules and guidance in a business environment reshaped by the growth of online sales and by new market players such as online platforms, and to ensure a more harmonised application of the vertical rules across the European Union. |
| 11:00 » 11:30 | Coffee break |
| 11:30 » 12:30 | VBER In Focus (deep dive on specific issues): Addressing Key Challenges and Specific Issues Based on the general outlook of the VBER, this panel will delve into the nuanced challenges arising from it, focusing on specific issues such as parity obligations, geographic restrictions or exclusive and selective distribution models. Participants will gain insights into how these critical aspects are being applied and enforced across the EU, particularly in the digital world. The aim is to explore the practical implications for businesses navigating these new dynamics, share experiences and provide practical guidance and actionable insights on how to maintain compliance while optimizing offline and online distribution strategies. |
| 12:30 » 14:00 | Lunch |
| 14:00 » 14:30 | Commission meeting |
| 14:30 » 15:45 | Fighting for Fairness: Private Enforcement in Digital Markets Much attention has been paid in recent years to public enforcement of competition laws, with multi-billion fines against large digital platforms, as well as new and innovative regulatory frameworks such as the EU DMA. Private enforcement has received less attention. This panel will discuss how private enforcement can serve as a crucial source of deterrence for illegal and harmful behaviour and as a primary means of compensating victims for damages suffered at the hands of cartelists and dominant firms in the digital sphere. A particular focus will be on the private enforcement of the DMA, including the new types of claims that will be available and the risks this poses to gatekeepers. |
| 15:45 » 16:15 | Coffee break |
| 16:15 » 17:30 | Shedding Light on Illumina: Navigating Uncertain Times for Below Threshold Transactions The European Court of Justice is clear: the European Commission had no jurisdiction to investigate Illumina's acquisition of Grail. But what happens next? At EU level, the European Commission has insisted that one of its main priorities for the new legislature will continue to be to tackle destructive takeovers. At national level, some Member States have introduced, or have recently introduced, call-in powers in their national legislation. Other Member States plan to introduce such powers in the short term. However, destructive takeovers are also an issue at a global level, affecting all major jurisdictions. This panel will examine the different approaches taken by the major competition authorities in the main jurisdictions around the world to deal with this important issue. |
| 20:00 | Dinner More details to follow soon |
Saturday 11 October 2025 | |
| 09:30 | Opening of the registration desk |
| 10:00 » 11:15 | Taming “Big Tech”: Will Small (and not so Small) Businesses ever be able to Thrive Online? This panel will explore recent and upcoming EU and international legislative developments, such as the EU Digital Markets Act (‘DMA’), which are transforming digital markets and redefining the boundaries of competition and commercial law. In particular, we will discuss the first year of compliance with the DMA by the first wave of designated gatekeepers, shedding light on the new challenges and opportunities for small and medium-sized companies active online. We will assess whether and how business users of large online platforms are benefiting (or not) from the way gatekeepers are (allegedly) complying with the new regulatory landscape. We will discuss best practices and how best to advise our clients so that they are empowered and can take full advantage of their new rights online. |
| 11:15 » 11:45 | Coffee break |
| 11:45 » 13:00 | Singing in an Oasis: Legal Challenges in Dynamic Pricing This panel will explore the strategic benefits of dynamic pricing—a flexible pricing model that allows companies to adjust prices for goods and services in real time based on demand, competition, seasonality, timing, and more. Unlike static pricing models, dynamic pricing allows companies to tailor their prices to individual customers and products, creating a competitive edge in rapidly changing markets, from ridesharing, to air travel and online retail. However, it also poses significant risks of facilitating collusion, which are being turbo-charged by the explosion of AI across online markets, leading to potentially widespread consumer harm. This panel will discuss both the significant benefits and high risks of dynamic pricing, and how regulators around the world are responding in a rapidly changing environment. |
| 13:00 » 13:15 | Closing Remarks |
| 13:15 » 14:30 | Lunch |
| 15:00 | Optional activity and dinner More details to follow soon |
Sponsors
