Friso Bostoen's article receives 'Best Antitrust Academic Article Procedure Category'

Friso Bostoen‘s article, “Opening the Black Box: Uncovering the European Commission’s Cartel Fining Formula Through Computational Analysis” (read more about it here), has been selected as the Best Antitrust Academic Article Procedure Category by the Antitrust Writing Awards 2024!

We are proud of our fellow DLS member and we would like to congratulate him on his achievement! 

Short summary on his winning article:

The article investigates whether the European Commission displays bias against non-EU, particularly U.S., firms in enforcing competition law. While this ‘protectionist hypothesis’ has been dismissed in merger control, it remains largely untested in abuse of dominance and restrictive agreements. The study employs computational analysis of cartel fines from 2006 to 2020 to shed light on the Commission’s decision-making process, revealing a consistent fining methodology across Commissioners Almunia and Vestager’s tenures. The findings suggest no conclusive evidence supporting the protectionist hypothesis.

About Friso Bostoen:

He is an Assistant Professor of Competition Law & Digital Regulation at Tilburg University, and he researches how digital markets are regulated through competition law and related instruments. He also has an interest in AI. His research is informed by other disciplines (such as business strategy), international comparisons (EU–U.S.), and history (of firms and regulation).

More information about Friso Bostoen can be found here.