The 'Acceptable' Cartel? Horizontal Agreements under Competition Law and Beyond


Friday 22 March 2019, London School of Economics and Political Science

A workshop reflecting McEllistrim v Ballymacelligott Co-Operative Agricultural and Dairy Society Limited [1919] AC 548

The optimal treatment of potentially restrictive horizontal agreements is one of the most discussed and disputed questions within contemporary competition law. Taking as its starting point the centenary of McEllistrim v Ballymacelligot Co-op, a House of Lords decision on the restraint of trade doctrine, this one-day workshop will explore regulatory approaches to horizontal coordination in competition law and beyond.

Beyond ever-more proactive enforcement efforts against hard-core cartels, coordination between rivals raises complex issues regarding the extent to which private restrictions on competition should be permissible in pursuit of overall efficiency or other socially-important goals. The workshop will explore the circumstances in which agreements between competitors can be deemed to fall outside the constraints of competition law, considering both antitrust and self-regulation approaches, and addressing EU law and beyond.  

The event will take place in the Graham Wallas Room, LSE Old Building, London WC2A 2AE, from 9.15am-5.30pm. A draft programme for the event is available here. Attendance is free of charge, but registration in advance is required; please email N.M.Dunne@lse.ac.uk beforehand if you would like to attend.

The conference is organised jointly by Professor Imelda Maher (University College Dublin) and Niamh Dunne (LSE).