The Open Markets Institute, Lobby Control, SOMO (Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations), and the Balanced Economy Project convened political leaders and policy experts to discuss the next phase in the cross-border fight to protect democracies from dangerous concentrations of power and control.

FEATURED SPEAKERS

Stéphanie Yon-Courtin, MEP France
Paul Tang, MEP The Netherlands
Christy Hoffman, UNI Global Union General Secretary
Max Schrems, Founder of NOYB - European Center for Digital Rights
Tommaso Valletti, Professor of Economics at Imperial College Business School*
Rana Foroohar, Associate Editor, Financial Times*

Western democracies are waking to the political and economic perils posed by extreme concentration of corporate power and industrial capacity. The European Union has passed vital new legislation to tackle big tech, and the United States has named a new generation of law enforcers. And both Europe and the United States are taking dramatic steps to rebuild production systems. 

But much more remains to be done. The abuse of power by dominant companies continue to disrupt democratic debate, enforce dangerous dependencies on authoritarian states, weaken workers’ rights, block real innovation, and drive up prices for everything from fuel to food to medicines to housing. 

The discussion focused of how the European Commission can wield its power most effectively to protect Europe’s citizens and nations from these threats. A collaboration between the Open Markets Institute, Lobby Control of Germany, SOMO of the Netherlands, and the Balanced Economy Project, a new Europe-focused anti-monopoly group, the conference marked a new phase in cross-border efforts to master the crisis of monopoly. 

Among panel discussions:

• Protecting our democracies from big tech platform monopolies.

• Protecting workers, professionals and small and medium businesses from concentrated power.

• Ensuring industrial security in an open and international world.

• Organizing a European movement to protect democracy and innovation.

Among other featured speakers:

• Cristina Caffarra, partner, head of Keystone Europe

• Cori Crider, co-founder, Foxglove

• Christopher Gopal, Global Supply Chain Management Center at the University of Southern California*

• Liza Lovdahl-Gormsen, director of the Competition Law Forum and senior research fellow, British Institute of International and Comparative Law

• Thomas Höppner, professor of law at Technical University Wildau, and partner at law firm Hausfeld

• Crispin Hunt, songwriter/producer/advocate

• Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana, head of regulation, IMPRESS

• Barry Lynn, executive director, Open Markets Institute

• Séverine Picard, founder, Progressive Policies

• Agustín Reyna, senior legal officer and digital team leader, BEUC

• Alan Riley, senior fellow, Atlantic Council Global Energy Center

• Johnny Ryan, senior fellow, Irish Council for Civil Liberties, and Open Markets senior fellow

• Sebastiano Toffaletti, secretary general (CEO) at European DIGITAL SME Alliance

From our partners:

• Nick Shaxson, co-founder, Balanced Economy Project

• Max von Thun, senior fellow, Balanced Economy Project

• Audrey Gaughran, executive director, SOMO

• Margarida Silva, organizer, SOMO

• Max Bank, organizer, LobbyControl

* joining virtually

Schedule

10:00  Welcome and Opening Remarks 

10:10  Keynote: Stéphanie Yon-Courtin, MEP France

10:35  Panel Discussion: Strengthening Big Tech Enforcement & Challenging the Consumer Welfare/Efficiency Ideology with Liza Lovdahl-Gormsen, Cristina Caffarra, Johnny Ryan, and Tommaso Valletti

11:40  Landscape Discussion: Industrial Security in an Open and International World with Rana Foroohar and Christopher Gopal

11:50  Panel Discussion: The Threat of Industrial Concentration and How to Rebuild a Safe International System with Alan Riley and Barry Lynn; moderated by Umberto Gambini

12:20  Lunch

12:45  Keynote: Max Schrems, founder, NOYB - European Center for Digital Rights

13:05  Keynote: The Netherlands MEP Paul Tang

13:35  Keynote: UNI Global Union General Secretary Christy Hoffman

13:50 Panel Discussion: Defending Workers and Professionals from Concentrated Power with Thomas Höppner and Cori Crider; moderated by Alison Tate, director, economic and social policy, International Trade Union Confederation

14:30  Panel Discussion: Can Europe Protect SMEs, Creators, and Publishers from Monopoly Power? with Crispin Hunt and Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana; moderated by Max von Thun, senior fellow, Balanced Economy Project

15:15 Panel Discussion: Organizing a European Movement to Protect Democracy Against Concentrated Power with Audrey Gaughran, Nick Shaxson, Agustín Reyna, and Max Bank; moderated by Margarida Silva, researcher, SOMO

15:50  Closing Remarks