The Future Ain't What it Used to Be - 20 Years of Competition Laws in Iceland

Date: Friday September 27 2013
Time: 8:00 to 16:00
Location: Radisson Hotel Saga (view on Google Map)

A broad spectrum of 30 policymakers, business-leaders, officials and academics discuss competition policy in a small and modern economy and the prospects and challenges of competition law, both in general (morning session) and as regards more specific challenges (afternoon session).

Morning session

How can we pave the way to more efficient markets?
Resurrection following the crisis. Where do we go from here?
What can the government do to increase competition in the public sector?

Time	Event
08:00 – 08:30	Registration / Coffee Conference chair: Kristín Haraldsdóttir, Chairman of the Board of the Competition Authority
08:30 – 09:40	- Ragnheiður Elín Árnadóttir, Minister of Industry and Commerce
	Keynote Speaker: - Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the OECD
	- John M. Connor, Professor Emeritus of Economics, Purdue University, US.
09:40 – 10:00	Break
10:00 – 10:45	- Þorsteinn Víglundsson, Confederation of Icelandic Employers (SA)
	- Christine Meyer, Director General of the Norwegian Competition Authority.
	- Páll Gunnar Pálsson, Director General of the Icelandic Competition Authority
10:50 – 11:45	Discussion with Angel Gurría and other speakers
	Moderator: Ari Kristinn Jónsson, President of Reykjavik University
11:45 – 12:30	Lunch buffet

A new report on the Resurrection of Icelandic companies and the state of play in terms of competition will be introduced during the morning session.

Afternoon session – Workshops in parallel sessions

Time	Event
12:30 – 14:00
Workshop 1:	Advocacy challenges - Competition policy as a tool to promote efficiency in the public sector.
	Panelists: - Vilhjálmur Egilsson, Rector at Bifröst University (moderator) - Illugi Gunnarsson, Minister of Education, Science and Culture - Kristina Geiger, Deputy Director of the Swedish Competition Authority - Cristiana Vitale, Senior Competition Policy Expert, OECD - Victor D. Norman, Professor of Economics, Norwegian School of Economics (NHH), and former minister of competition affairs - Björn Zoega, CEO of Landsspitali University Hospital - Oddur Steinarsson, CEO and Chief Physician, Nötkäran Kortedala, Primary Health Care Center, Gothenburg, Sweden
Workshop 2:	Optimal deterrence effect of competition law enforcement.
	Panelists: - Helga Melkorka Óttarsdóttir, Supreme Court Attorney (moderator) - John M. Connor, Professor Emeritus of Economics, Purdue University, US - Páll Hreinsson, Judge at the EFTA Court - Tim Ward, Barrister, Monckton Chambers, London. - Jóna Björk Helgadóttir, District Court Attorney at Landslög Law Offices - Ásgeir Einarsson, Deputy Director General of the Icelandic Competition Authority

14:30 – 16:00
Workshop 3:	Enforcement challenges in network markets – The case of the telecommunications market.
	Panelists: - Kristín Haraldsdóttir, Chairman of the Board of the Competition Authority (moderator) - Tim Ward, QC Barrister. - Heiðrún Jónsdóttir, District Court Attorney at Aktis and Board member of Skipti hf. (telecom company) - Jóakim Reynisson, CTO of Nova hf. (telecom company) - Dóra Sif Tynes, Senior Legal Officer, EFTA Secretariat - Páll Gunnar Pálsson, Director General of the Competition Authority
Workshop 4:	Competition as a tool to deal with the aftermath of the financial crisis - The resurrection of the Icelandic economy, the competition environment after the banking collapse in 2008 and the development of the banking market.
	Panelists: - Hreggviður Jónsson, Chairman of the Board of the Iceland Chamber of Commerce (moderator) - Miguel de la Mano, Head of Unit, Financial Markets, European Commission - Birna Einarsdóttir, CEO of Íslandsbanki - Jóhannes Karl Sveinsson, Chairman of the Competition Appeals Committee - Victor D. Norman, Professor of Economics, Norwegian School of Economics (NHH), and former minister of competition affairs - Benedikt Árnason, Chief Economist of the Icelandic Competition Authority

16:00 – 17:00	Cocktail