The Monopolies Commission is an independent expert committee that advises the German government in the areas of competition and regulated sectors (rail, postal service, telecommunications, energy). It consists of five members, who must have special knowledge and experience in the fields of economics, business administration, social policy, technology or commercial law. The Commission will celebrate its 50th birthday this year. A symposium will take place in Berlin on 5 June to mark the occasion. Professor Podszun will speak there on the following topic: “To what extent can antitrust law be political?”
“Competition is coming under pressure from both sides. On the one hand, there is a worrying increase in the power of individual corporations in some areas. At the same time, calls for state intervention get louder again during times of crisis. This reduces the scope for individuals in the economy. Competition is not a panacea, but I will do my best on the Monopolies Commission to ensure that its potential for resolving current and future problems is exploited”, says Rupprecht Podszun in relation to his future task.
Prof. Dr. Rupprecht Podszun has lectured in civil law, German and European competition law at HHU since the 2016/17 winter semester. Together with Prof. Dr. Christian Kersting, he directs the Institute of Antitrust Law and is President of the Academic Society for Competition Law (ASCOLA), the global expert association for antitrust law. He is also a substitute member of the Commission on Concentration in the Media (KEK).
The 48-year-old antitrust expert studied law at university in Heidelberg, London and Munich. After completing his doctorate (2003) at Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich on the topic “International Antitrust Procedural Law”, from 2005 he spent two years working as an Officer at the Federal Cartel Office in Bonn. He was a Senior Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition in Munich from 2007 to 2012. In 2012, he completed his post-doctoral studies at Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich on the topic “Economic Order through Civil Courts”. From 2013 to 2022, he was an Affiliated Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition in Munich. He moved to the University of Bayreuth in 2013 (Chair of Civil Law, Intellectual Property and Business Law).
He returned to Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf on account of its significant focus on competition law with the Düsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics (DICE). Together with its Director, Professor Justus Haucap, Podszun hosts the podcast “Bei Anruf Wettbewerb” on the topic of competition). Haucap was a member of the Monopolies Commission from 2006 to 2014.
Rupprecht Podszun’s research focus areas include antitrust and competition law as well as the regulation of digital platforms and the area of law and sustainability. Most recently, Podszun worked with co-authors to bring out a major piece of work on the Digital Markets Act, the EU Regulation for companies such as Apple and Google. “For the team and myself, it’s always about what rules we need in order for the market economy to function. The current changes, from climate protection to AI, are disrupting traditional business models. For business law, too, this means we have to rethink things!”