Speech

Speech by Commissioner Margrethe Vestager,
Post-Growth Conference,
Brussels, 18 September 2018
"We can’t find the answers to the problems we face by throwing away our growing market economies. We can steer our economies in the right direction. We can build an economy that’s fair and sustainable, by grasping the opportunities growth gives us – and tackling the problems that it can cause."

Speech by Commissioner Margrethe Vestager,
CEPS Corporate Breakfast,
Brussels, 10 September 2018,
"Because when technology moves fast, we need to move fast too. We need to be sure these developing markets move in the right direction in their formative years. So that they end up giving European consumers the very best of what technology can offer them"

Spreech by Commissioner Margrethe Vestager
Copenhagen Business School,
3 September 2018

"I believe that companies, and individual business people, have a responsibility to foster trust in the markets – trust in a system that works for all - by playing by the rules when they do business in the EU."

Speech by Commissioner Margrehte Vestager
Bruegel Annual Meeting,
Brussels, 3 September 2018
"People [..] need to know that democratic, liberal politics – undramatic as it may seem, compared with the promises of authoritarians – is the tortoise that has won the race, over and over, to make our lives healthier and happier and richer. So we can win their support to do it again."

Speech by Commissioner Margrethe Vestager,
NorWHO, Copenhagen,
20 August 2018

"Our role is to ensure that the market works. For me this fits with the vision of the three founding doctors of the WHO.[..] Competition rules are about making life better for consumers. So that when they spend their hard-earned money, they get a fair deal."

Statement by Commissioner Margrethe Vestager,
European Parliament's Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE),
Brussels, 09 July 2018
"Europe has strong legs to stand on in the world. More people in the EU have jobs than ever before. Of the twenty most innovative countries in the world, ten are European. Together, we must keep that momentum.Competition policy will do its bit. I look forward to the debate."

Speech by Commissioner Margrethe Vestager,
High Level Forum on State Aid Modernisation,
Brussels, 19 June 2018
"[..] We need to make sure that state aid doesn’t harm competition. But that doesn’t mean becoming players in the game ourselves. It doesn’t mean that we want to decide how governments spend their taxpayers’ money – as long as it doesn’t stop fair competition."

Speech by
Commissioner Margrethe Vestager
Brain Bar event
Budapest, 1 June 2018

The Commissioner gave a speech entitled 'When technology serves people' this morning at the Brain Bar 2018 event in Budapest. In it she referenced, among others, the movie Blade Runner and the recent viral 'Yanny and Laurel' clip. On the latter she said that the clip challenged the most basic belief we need to live together in society: That we all hear and see the same things. In an entertaining and thought-provoking speech the Commissioner covered areas such as meeting the challenges of new technology, data privacy and GDPR, Google, algorithms and democracy. She concluded by saying that our fundamental values are at stake.

Speech by
Commissioner Margrethe Vestager
European Competition Day
Sofia, 31 May 2018

The Commissioner spoke at the European Competition Day in Sofia today and took the opportunity to speak both about the political agreement on ECN+ and the Gazprom case.

Speech by
Commissioner Margrethe Vestager
Copenhagen Fashion Summit,
Copenhagen, 15 May 2018

Today, [..] creative energy has a new challenge to deal with. And the people who take up that challenge [..] won’t just be designing new fashions. They’ll be designing a new way to do fashion.[..]. It is a lot of work. Pioneering a world where no one talks about sustainable fashion any more – because everything this industry does will be sustainable.

Commissioner Margrethe Vestager,
Celebration of 25 Years of Competition Law in Belgium,
Brussels, 4 May 2018

"That’s exactly what competition law does here in Belgium. It creates a world where consumers have choice, and control. One where the economy isn’t just the property of a few big companies, that can do as they please. But where the needs of consumers really matter."

Speech by Commissioner Margrethe Vestager,
Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets,
Fifth Anniversary Conference, The Hague, 26 April 2018

"[..]The markets we deal with are changing all the time. And we have to make sure we get ahead of those changes.
[..]However things change, competition authorities need to keep making sure that markets work well for consumers."

Speech by Commissioner Margrethe Vestager,
Studienvereinigung Kartellrecht International,
EU Competition Law Forum,
Brussels, 12 March 2018

"As competition enforcers, we do need to keep the right balance in the market. But we should do that, not by pulling companies down, but by raising consumers up.
We should do it by making sure consumers have choices. By defending their power to demand a fairer deal – lower prices, better quality, more innovative products. So that in this modern world, where so much is changing, people know that the markets will keep working fairly for them"

Speech by Commissioner Margrethe Vestager,
Danish Competition and Consumer Authority,
Copenhagen, 9 March 2018

"[..]We need to make sure our systems as well as our procedures are ready to deal with this digital age. [..] We also need to make sure that individuals and businesses know what to expect from us in a digital world. We need to explain that the world we want to see is one that works fairly for everyone."

Speech by Commissioner Margrethe Vestager,
European Conference,
Harvard University, 2 March 2018

"[..] We in Europe are absolutely committed to a world that makes trade fair as well as free. And we will do all it takes – as I'm sure will others around the world – to defend the rule of law and global institutions that ensures the prosperity our global economy brings"

Speech by
Director-General Johannes Laitenberger,
W@competition conference,
Brussels, 1 March 2018

"Competition policy and enforcement has always been about strengthening or restoring people's trust in the fair conduct of companies and in markets that work for everyone. This is a historical acquis that we should all be determined to bring into the future and to improve, hone and develop it further."

Speech by Commissioner Margrethe Vestager,
FIW Symposium, Innsbruck, Austria
16 February 2018

"The champions we need can't be companies that never face real competition at home. We need businesses that know how to serve customers well – to keep prices down and produce innovative ideas. Competition gives those companies the chance to rise to the top"

Speech by Johannes Laitenberger,
Director-General for Competition,
Berg/Mäsch 3. Edition, Book presentation,
Brussels, 19 January 2018

"[In merger review] preference is accorded to structural remedies – in practice, divestitures – because they have effective, lasting effects. Better still if the divestiture remedy involves the sale of standalone businesses, because they are straightforward solutions that offer the best guarantees to fix competition concerns over time. In addition, we also make sure divestments include all is needed to make divestitures future-proof – such as R&D capabilities. And when the guarantees are weaker – as in the relatively riskier carve-outs and other complex remedies – we make sure prospective competitors and consumers won't bear the risk."

Speech by Commissioner Margrethe Vestager,
Schwarzkopf Europe Award Ceremony,
Berlin, 29 January 2018

"[..] I learned that as a young person, you have a valuable perspective. You’re not held back by the old ways of doing things. You can look further into the future. And we need that perspective today more than ever, as we make decisions that will shape the future of Europe. We need a discussion that reaches across the generations, so we can make the most of what we each have to offer."

Speech by Johannes Laitenberger,
Director-General for Competition,
GCLC Conference,
Brussels, 26 January 2018

"[Fairness is] a way to describe the rationale that underpins EU competition enforcement. It is a way to express the overall goals and benefits of EU competition policy in a more tangible manner. It is not meant as a self-sufficient, generic legal test to be applied in cases. And certainly, the very concept of 'fairness' excludes that it substitutes rigorous, fact-based analysis."