Minicourse: Can Antitrust Save Democracy? Insights from Europe

Two interrelated lunch seminars led by Maciej Bernatt (University of Warsaw): This minicourse investigates the relationship between competition (antitrust) law and democracy, with a focus on media markets. It relies on the experiences of EU countries that have experienced democratic backsliding to examine whether merger review by competition agencies can help preserve competitive media markets and media plurality. It also analyzes any added value the proposed EU regulation of media markets may have in this respect. The course contributes to the broader debate on how to (better) control the market power of firms that pose risks to democracies.
Wednesday, April 24
Democratic backsliding and the risks for pluralistic and competitive media
In this session, we discuss the general consequences of democratic backsliding in Hungary and Poland for media markets. Then, we use two merger cases to illustrate how the weakening of competition agencies by the ruling majority affects merger review on media markets and what further negative effects for democracy such a process entails.
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