The Open Markets Institute, Lobby Control, SOMO, and the Balanced Economy Project Will Convene Political Leaders and Policy Experts to Discuss the Next Phase in Cross-Border Fight to Protect Our 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*
OCTOBER 13 10:00AM - 15:00PM CET GMT+2
SOFITEL, 1 PLACE JOURDAN
BRUSSELS
And streaming on these platforms:
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.
Please join us for a discussion 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 will mark a new phase in cross-border efforts to master the crisis of monopoly.
With panel discussions on:
- 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.
Additional featured speakers include:
- Cristina Caffarra, Partner, Head of Keystone Europe
- Johnny Ryan, Senior Fellow, Irish Council for Civil Liberties
- Liza Lovdahl-Gormsen, Director of the Competition Law Forum and Senior Research Fellow, British Institute of International and Comparative Law
- Barry Lynn, Executive Director, Open Markets Institute
- Christopher Gopal, Global Supply Chain Management Center at the University of Southern California (USC)*
- Alan Riley, Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council Global Energy Center
- Prof. Thomas Höppner, Professor of Law at Technical University Wildau, Partner at law firm Hausfeld
- Cori Crider, Co-founder, Foxglove
- Crispin Hunt, Songwriter/Producer/Advocate
- Agustín Reyna, Senior Legal Officer and Digital Team Leader, BEUC
- Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana, Head of Regulation, IMPRESS
- Séverine Picard, Founder, Progressive Policies
- 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 of Events:
10:00 Welcome and Opening Remarks
10:10 Keynote: MEP Stéphanie Yon-Courtin
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
12:20 Lunch
12:45 Keynote: Max Schrems
13:05 Keynote: 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
14:30 Panel Discussion: Can Europe Protect SMEs, Creators, and Innovators? with Crispin Hunt and Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana
15:15 Panel Discussion: Organizing a European Movement to Protect Democracy Against Concentrated Power with Audrey Gaughran, Nick Shaxson, Agustín Reyna, and Max Bank
15:50 Closing Remarks
