Competition Policy 2025

Event Details

Resilience, rivalry and regulation in a fragmenting global order

The role of competition policy is undergoing a notable shift in 2025. This change is driven by an ambitious programme of national policy reforms in response to heightened geopolitical uncertainty, intensifying strategic competition and growing concerns around national and economic resilience. Regulators across key jurisdictions - including the UK, EU, USA, and China - are increasingly called to integrate non-competition considerations, such as industrial policy, defence capability, supply chain security and environmental protection, to foster a competitive environment for sustainable and productive economic growth. These shifts are reflected in the expanding reach of competition and adjacent regimes, including foreign subsidies control, FDI screening and digital market regulation.

Enforcement approaches are evolving to emphasize consumer protection, particularly in the context of rising inflation and a cost-of-living crisis. Recent developments, such as the Draghi report, also encourage authorities to look beyond traditional consumer welfare tests and consider factors such as innovation, ecosystem dominance and long-term resilience. This shift is especially significant for strategic sectors such as AI, energy, life sciences and defence. Meanwhile, regulatory approaches are diverging globally, as seen in the EU's updated Article 102 guidelines, evolving US and UK practices and China's integration of competition policy with industrial strategy.

This year's conference, hosted in person and held under the Chatham House Rule, explores how competition frameworks are being redefined in response to growing geopolitical pressures. Key topics include: the interaction between competition and national security in merger control and FDI screening; the shifting enforcement focus towards both public and private dimensions of consumer welfare; and how regulators and businesses are navigating an increasingly complex and fragmented global regulatory environment.

Why attend?

Understand how growing geopolitical pressures are redefining competition policy frameworks.

Explore how merger rules and investment screening are evolving in the UK, US and EU, and their role in shaping defence sector priorities from national security and technological sovereignty to innovation capacity and supply chain resilience.

Understand the rise in market investigations and the growing focus on consumer protection, with increased investigations into issues like sustainability claims, AI use, digital platforms and pricing transparency.

Network with international competition authorities, anti-trust regulators and business leaders from critical sectors to learn how leaders are responding to today's more complex and politicised regulatory landscape.

Registration

Further details including how to register for this conference can be found on the Chatham House website.