16/10/2026
📢 This Week at ERA: Competition cases, border management and three Bs abroad
📌 Hot topic: This week, the European Commission closed its antitrust investigation into Sanofi after the company agreed to correct potentially misleading claims about a rival flu vaccine and refrain from making further disparaging statements. It argued that such communications could constitute an exclusionary abuse of a dominant position under Article 102 TFEU, making the case particularly relevant to participants at our Annual Conference on European Competition Law (15–16 October, Trier & 💻 online). Over two days, experts from the European Commission, OECD, academia and legal practice covered the latest enforcement initiatives, competition law in dynamic markets and the enforcement of the Digital Markets Act, followed by an overview of recent competition law judgments by Judge Inga Reine of the General Court of the EU.
🌍 ERA was in📍Budapest this week for a seminar on Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence in Criminal Justice (15–16 October), organised with Hungary’s National Office for the Judiciary, covering online investigations, electronic evidence and AI. In parallel in📍Barcelona, a training for defence lawyers on Digitalisation in European Criminal Justice (15–16 October), held with the Barcelona Bar Association (ICAB), centred on defence rights and included a demonstration of AI-assisted case file review. Meanwhile in📍Brussels, our seminar on How to Handle Harassment Complaints in the EU Institutions (15–16 October) focused on victims’ rights and how to conduct inquiries and included a review of recent jurisprudence regarding harassment cases by Judge Jesper Svenningsen of the General Court.
📚 Meanwhile in Trier: The Annual Conference on EU Border Management (15–16 October, Trier & 💻 online) gathered experts from the European Commission, Frontex, eu-LISA, Europol, the Swedish Police Authority and academia to discuss the latest developments in Schengen governance, large-scale EU border management databases, visa and returns policies. The programme also covered EU external border management, fundamental rights safeguards in border screening and return operations, as well as efforts to combat migrant smuggling and included a visit to the European Museum Schengen in Luxembourg.
Meanwhile 💻 online: The fourth edition of ERA’s Young European Lawyers Academy 2026 kicked off on Tuesday with a digital introduction of participants followed by a practical workshop on EU law basics. While on Thursday, a webinar organised with the Association of European Data Protection Judges (AEDPJ) explored the use of AI in judicial systems, from case management to decision-making.
🔔 Looking ahead: You can still register for our online seminars on Recent Case Law on EU Immigration Law (19–20 October) and Protecting LGBTIQ+ Rights in the Online Environment (21 October). Meanwhile, discounted early-bird registration for the Annual Conference on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the EU and the Annual Conference on EU Copyright Law (both 25–27 November, 💻 online) ends on 25 October. 👉 Links in the first comment.
