“Meet to Compete – Repeat Competition Law and Policy Conference” held in Opatija

The conference “Meet to Compete Competition Law and Policy Conference – Tools for the New Rules” was held on 14 and 15 May 2026 in Opatija, organized by the International Chamber of Commerce – ICC Croatia and the Croatian Chamber of the Economy, with the support of the Croatian Competition Agency (CCA).

Again, the conference brought together leading European and international experts in the area of competition law and policy, representatives of the European Commission, national competition authorities, academia, legal professionals, and the business community, with the aim of exchanging experience and discussing current challenges in the enforcement of competition law in a digital and globally connected economy.

Opening Remarks and Participation of CCA

The first day of the conference began with opening remarks from representatives of the organizers and institutions involved in implementing competition policy. On behalf of the CCA, the participants were addressed by Mirta Kapural, PhD, president of the Competition Council.

“The CCA strongly supports the organization of conferences such as this, which represent an important opportunity for the exchange of experience and discussion of the most current issues in the area of competition law. In the context of the rapid development of digital markets and new regulatory frameworks, international cooperation and knowledge-sharing are more important than ever.

In practice, new concepts are increasingly being used in the enforcement of competition rules, such as market resilience, competitiveness, inflationary pressures, digital ecosystems, artificial intelligence, as well as issues of energy security and strategic autonomy. The geopolitical environment is changing, and with it the context in which competition authorities operate. At the same time, competition law continues to evolve and expand the scope of its application,” emphasized Mirta Kapural, PhD.

Conference Topics

During the two-day program, a series of panels, expert discussions, and workshops were held, focusing on the most important current issues in European and international competition law.

Among the key topics highlighted at this year’s conference were:

• the role of economic evidence in abuse of dominance proceedings,
• defining relevant markets and assessing market power in digital ecosystems,
• challenges in enforcing competition law in the digital economy,
• experience in conducting proceedings before the European Commission and the EU courts,
• compliance risk management for businesses and in-house counsel,
• information exchange and compliance in the context of the development of artificial intelligence.

“Enforcers Roundtable” Panel

The president of the CCA Competition Council, Mirta Kapural, PhD, participated in the “Enforcers Roundtable” panel together with the heads of national competition authorities from Austria, France, Spain, and Poland.

The discussion focused on current enforcement challenges and new regulatory tools available to national authorities, with particular emphasis on:

• global geopolitical changes and their impact on the work of competition authorities,
• new issues in the area of merger control,
• procedural issues, including obstruction of proceedings during investigations, protection of confidentiality, and digital evidence,
• labour markets as an increasingly important area for the application of competition law.

Regional Regulators’ Panel

On the second day of the conference, a regional regulators’ panel was held with the participation of representatives of competition authorities from Croatia that was represented by the president of the CCA Council, Mirta Kapural, PhD), Slovenia, North Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Participants exchanged experience regarding their recent practice, challenges in the enforcement of competition law, and the priorities in the work of the national authorities in the region.

Speakers

This year’s speakers included distinguished international experts and representatives of institutions and academia, including President of the General Court of the European Union Marc van der Woude, Professor Herbert Hovenkamp from the University of Pennsylvania, Professor Ariel Ezrachi from the University of Oxford, and Frédéric Jenny from ESSEC Business School Paris.

Conclusion

CCA’s participation in this conference confirms the importance of continuous international cooperation and the exchange of experience among competition authorities, particularly in the context of increasingly complex market relations, the rapid development of digital markets, and new regulatory challenges.