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Event
Public event
#Cross-sector

Charting a European Path to Competitiveness

27 November 2025
14:00
- 16:00
About
Programme
Speakers
Registration

About

Mario Draghi’s report on European competitiveness painted a dire picture of the bloc’s economic prospects. The EU has lost business dynamism, the relative cost of doing business in the bloc has increased, and the global political environment has become more hostile to Europe’s trade-intensive business model. Yet progress in implementing the Draghi report’s recommendations remains slow – even while the EU’s technological reliance on the US has become less palatable.

Europe faces many dilemmas in trying to tackle its problems:

  • How should the EU balance the need to boost growth, on the one hand, with protecting its economic security and digital sovereignty, on the other?
  • How should the EU balance efforts to boost technological innovation with increasing the diffusion of ICT technologies?
  • Should Europe simplify and better harmonise regulation to boost innovation, or is a more profound change to Europe’s precautionary regulatory approach necessary?
  • Given many of Draghi’s recommendations are not new, why has the EU been unable to deliver the necessary reforms? What institutional changes to the EU could help overcome this inertia?

CERRE’s team of leading academics have been addressing these questions in a series of papers over 2025. Join us online on 27/11/2025 in a discussion between CERRE’s academics, European policy-makers and industry leaders.

Programme

13:30
14:00

Registration

Coffee will be served

14:00
14:05

Welcome and Introduction

Zach Meyers, Director of Research, CERRE

14:05
14:20

Keynote

Speaker to be announced

14:20
15:00

Panel 1: Digital Policies and Competitiveness

Confirmed Speakers:

  • Antonio Manganelli, CERRE Research Fellow and University of Siena
  • Zach Meyers, Director of Research, CERRE
  • Ben Schroeter, Booking.com
  • Dave O’Connell, ComReg
15:00
15:40

Panel 2: Regulation and EU Governance

  • Alexandre de Streel, CERRE Academic Director and University of Namur
  • Zach Meyers, Director of Research, CERRE
  • Dimitrios Varoutas, EETT
  • Carolina Lorenzon, Mediaset (joining virtually)
  • Urska Petrovcic, Qualcomm (joining virtually)
15:40
16:00

Keynote & Closing Remarks

Speaker to be announced

Speakers

Carolina Lorenzon
Carolina Lorenzon
Director of International Affairs
Mediaset

Carolina Lorenzon, International Affairs Director at Mediaset, heads its parent company MFE’s Brussels Office. MFE-MediaforEurope N.V. consolidates the Groups’ activities within the EU, with extensive broadcast, content production and advertsing operations in Italy and Spain. Carolina is at present Chair of the Board at ACT (Association of Commercial Televisions and VOD services in Europe) member of the General Council at CRTV (Confindustria Radio Televisioni, the Italian Association of public and private broadcasters) and Board Member at GII – Gruppo d’Iniziativa Italiana – a cross-sector gathering of Italian companies represented in Brussels.

She graduated in Communication/International Affairs (Pepperdine University, Los Angeles) with a senior thesis on “Low Earth Orbit satellites for the development of telecommunication infrastructure in Least Developed Countries”, and holds a master’s degree in Economics and Global Policy (Università Cattolica, Milano).

 

Carolina Lorenzon, International Affairs Director at Mediaset, heads its parent company MFE’s Brussels Office. MFE-MediaforEurope N.V. consolidates the Groups’ activities within the EU, with extensive broadcast, content production and advertsing operations in Italy and Spain. Carolina is at present Chair of the Board at ACT (Association of Commercial Televisions and VOD services in Europe) member of the General Council at CRTV (Confindustria Radio Televisioni, the Italian Association of public and private broadcasters) and Board Member at GII – Gruppo d’Iniziativa Italiana – a cross-sector gathering of Italian companies represented in Brussels.

She graduated in Communication/International Affairs (Pepperdine University, Los Angeles) with a senior thesis on “Low Earth Orbit satellites for the development of telecommunication infrastructure in Least Developed Countries”, and holds a master’s degree in Economics and Global Policy (Università Cattolica, Milano).

 

Urska Petrovcic
Urška Petrovčič
Director of Economic Strategy
Qualcomm

Urška Petrovčič is a director of economic strategy at Qualcomm, where her work focuses on innovation economics, IP policy and antitrust. She is also a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, where she co-founded the Forum for Intellectual Property—a center that promotes data-driven research on the role of IP in innovation economies. Since 2017, Dr. Petrovčič has acted as the European Commission’s non-governmental adviser for the Unilateral Conduct Working Group of the International Competition Network. Before joining Qualcomm, she was Vice President at the economic consulting company Criterion Economics.

Dr. Petrovčič holds a B.A. in law from the University of Ljubljana, a Master of Law and Economics from Erasmus University Rotterdam, and an LL.M. and a Ph.D. in law from the European University Institute. Her publications on the enforcement of standard-essential patents (SEPs) include a book, Competition Law and Standard Essential Patents: A Transatlantic Perspective (Wolters Kluwer 2014), and articles in the Common Market Law Review and other journals.

Urška Petrovčič is a director of economic strategy at Qualcomm, where her work focuses on innovation economics, IP policy and antitrust. She is also a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, where she co-founded the Forum for Intellectual Property—a center that promotes data-driven research on the role of IP in innovation economies. Since 2017, Dr. Petrovčič has acted as the European Commission’s non-governmental adviser for the Unilateral Conduct Working Group of the International Competition Network. Before joining Qualcomm, she was Vice President at the economic consulting company Criterion Economics.

Dr. Petrovčič holds a B.A. in law from the University of Ljubljana, a Master of Law and Economics from Erasmus University Rotterdam, and an LL.M. and a Ph.D. in law from the European University Institute. Her publications on the enforcement of standard-essential patents (SEPs) include a book, Competition Law and Standard Essential Patents: A Transatlantic Perspective (Wolters Kluwer 2014), and articles in the Common Market Law Review and other journals.

Ben Schroeter
Ben Schroeter
Director for Economic Policy & Strategic Engagement
Booking.com

Ben Schroeter is the Director for Economic Policy & Strategic Engagement and a Member of the Extended Leadership Team at Booking.com. His team leads the global public policy work on competition and consumer issues, taxation, data, privacy, AI, and short term rentals. Before joining Booking.com, Ben spent extensive time in consulting and worked as a policy advisor for the German government. An economist by training, Ben holds a Master in Competition Economics from the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics and a Master in Competition Law from King’s College, London. 

Ben Schroeter is the Director for Economic Policy & Strategic Engagement and a Member of the Extended Leadership Team at Booking.com. His team leads the global public policy work on competition and consumer issues, taxation, data, privacy, AI, and short term rentals. Before joining Booking.com, Ben spent extensive time in consulting and worked as a policy advisor for the German government. An economist by training, Ben holds a Master in Competition Economics from the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics and a Master in Competition Law from King’s College, London. 

Zach Meyers (1)
Zach Meyers
Director of Research

As the CERRE Director of Research, Zach Meyers has a wide remit, including managing our cross-sectoral programmes and projects.

Previously the assistant director of the Centre on European Reform, Zach Meyers has a recognised expertise in economic regulation and network industries such as telecoms, energy, payments, financial services and airports. In addition to advising in the private sector, with more than ten years’ experience as a competition and regulatory lawyer, he has consulted to several governments, regulators and multilateral institutions on competition reforms in regulated sectors. He is also a regular contributor to media.

Zach holds a BA, LLB and a Master of Public & International Law from the University of Melbourne.

As the CERRE Director of Research, Zach Meyers has a wide remit, including managing our cross-sectoral programmes and projects.

Previously the assistant director of the Centre on European Reform, Zach Meyers has a recognised expertise in economic regulation and network industries such as telecoms, energy, payments, financial services and airports. In addition to advising in the private sector, with more than ten years’ experience as a competition and regulatory lawyer, he has consulted to several governments, regulators and multilateral institutions on competition reforms in regulated sectors. He is also a regular contributor to media.

Zach holds a BA, LLB and a Master of Public & International Law from the University of Melbourne.

Alexandre De Streel (2)
Alexandre de Streel
Academic Director
and University of Namur

Alexandre de Streel is the Academic Director of the digital research programme at the Brussels think-tank Centre on Regulation in Europe (CERRE), professor of European law at the University of Namur and visiting professor at the College of Europe (Bruges) and SciencesPo Paris. He sits in the scientific committees of the Knight-Georgetown Institute (US), the European University Institute-Centre for a Digital Society (Italy) and the Mannheim Centre for Competition and Innovation (Germany).

His main research areas are regulation and competition policy in the digital economy (telecommunications, platforms and data) as well as the legal issues raised by the developments of artificial intelligence. He regularly advises the European Union and international organisations on digital regulation.

Previously, Alexandre held visiting positions at New York University Law School, the European University Institute in Florence, Panthéon-Assas (Singapore campus), Barcelona Graduate School of Economics and the University of Louvain. He also worked for the Belgian Deputy Prime Minister, the Belgian Permanent Representation to the European Union, and the European Commission. He has also been the chair of the expert group on the online platform economy, advising the European Commission.

Alexandre de Streel is the Academic Director of the digital research programme at the Brussels think-tank Centre on Regulation in Europe (CERRE), professor of European law at the University of Namur and visiting professor at the College of Europe (Bruges) and SciencesPo Paris. He sits in the scientific committees of the Knight-Georgetown Institute (US), the European University Institute-Centre for a Digital Society (Italy) and the Mannheim Centre for Competition and Innovation (Germany).

His main research areas are regulation and competition policy in the digital economy (telecommunications, platforms and data) as well as the legal issues raised by the developments of artificial intelligence. He regularly advises the European Union and international organisations on digital regulation.

Previously, Alexandre held visiting positions at New York University Law School, the European University Institute in Florence, Panthéon-Assas (Singapore campus), Barcelona Graduate School of Economics and the University of Louvain. He also worked for the Belgian Deputy Prime Minister, the Belgian Permanent Representation to the European Union, and the European Commission. He has also been the chair of the expert group on the online platform economy, advising the European Commission.

Antonio Manganelli
Antonio Manganelli
Research Fellow
and University of Siena

Antonio Manganelli is professor of Competition Law and Policy at the University of Siena, where he also obtained his Ph.D. in Law and Economics.

He previously worked at the University of Rome LUMSA as a professor of Antitrust and Regulation, and at the European University Institute, where he was academic coordinator of the Florence School of Regulation.

Antonio has also served in various public institutions in Europe, including the Italian Ministry of Economic Development as Deputy Head of Cabinet, the OECD as a national expert, the Italian Regulator for Telecom, Media and Postal Services (AGCOM), the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the Office of the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC), and the Research Office at the Italian Central Bank.

Antonio Manganelli is professor of Competition Law and Policy at the University of Siena, where he also obtained his Ph.D. in Law and Economics.

He previously worked at the University of Rome LUMSA as a professor of Antitrust and Regulation, and at the European University Institute, where he was academic coordinator of the Florence School of Regulation.

Antonio has also served in various public institutions in Europe, including the Italian Ministry of Economic Development as Deputy Head of Cabinet, the OECD as a national expert, the Italian Regulator for Telecom, Media and Postal Services (AGCOM), the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the Office of the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC), and the Research Office at the Italian Central Bank.

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