Policy Work

Since July 2022 I am a member of the German Monopolies Commission and since September 2024 I am the chairman.

Since 2019 I am a member of the Economic Advisory Group on Competition Policy (EAGCP) of the European Commission.

I advised several public bodies such as DG Competition, DG Economic Affairs, the UK Competition Commission, the UK Competition and Markets Authority, the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development , and the OECD in the area of merger control and competition policy in general.

I have never worked or consulted for individual companies on specific cases, nor have I ever received grants from private companies.

Reports and Policy Briefs with the Monopolies Commission

10. Sektorgutachten Bahn (2023): „Sondervermögen Schiene: Jetzt die Weichen richtig stellen!“

XXV Hauptgutachten (2024): Wettbewerb 2024

13. Sektorgutachten Telekommunikation (2023): Gigabit-Ziele durch Wettbewerb erreichen!

13. Sektorgutachten Post (2023): Postwesen durch Wettbewerb erneuern!

9. Sektorgutachten Energie (2023): Mit Wettbewerb aus der Energiekrise

9. Sektorgutachten Bahn (2023): „Time to GO: Endlich qualitätswirksam in den Wettbewerb!“

Why competition matters for defence spending, Februar 2025

Wettbewerb in der Lebensmittellieferkette, Febraur 2024

Ein Beitrag von datenverkehrsintensiven Over-The-Top-(OTT)-Anbietern an den Netzausbaukosten ist abzulehnen!, Mai 2023

Vorhaltepauschalen für Krankenhäuser adjustieren, Versorgungsbedarf sichern, Wettbewerb erhalten, Februar 2023

Strommärkte weiterentwickeln, Preisbremse wettbewerbskonform ausgestalten, Oktober 2022

Policy Projects & Reports

Evaluation Support Study for the Revision of the Guidelines on State Aid to Airports and Airlines

Study commissioned by DG Competition of the European Commission, (with LEAR and EY), 2024-2025

Collection of key qualitative and quantitative information on the European Commission's mergers decisions

Study commissioned by DG Competition of the European Commission, (with LEAR, CCP-UEA, Be-smart, and Fideres), 2023-2025

Study on the impact of State aid rules for banks in difficulty

study commissioned by DG Competition of the European Commission, (with E.CA economics), 2023-2024

Exploring Aspects of the State of Competition in the EU

Study commissioned by DG Competition of the European Commission, (with LEAR, E.CA economics, Kantar, Prometeia, Fideres, and CCP-UEA), 2023-2024

Study on the effectiveness of COVID-Aid on firms

Study commissioned by DG Competition of the European Commission, (with JRC-Ispra), 2023

Wohnkosten, Lebenszufriedenheit, Sicherheitsempfinden und Narrative: eine Betrachtung der langfristigen Verteilunswirkung von Wohnungsmarktzyklen (WSLN); Abschlussbericht, (with Felix Aubele, Pio Baake, Konstantin A. Kholodilin, Linus Pfeifer, Caroline Stiel)

Study commissioned by the German Federal Ministry of Justice, 2021-2023

Capacity building for the State Commission for the Protection of Economic Competition of the Republic of Armenia. Training in econometrics, demand estimation, and policy evaluation

Project commissioned by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), (with LEAR), 2021

Support study for the revision of the EU Guidelines on State aid for environmental protection and energy

Study commissioned by DG Competition of the European Commission, (with E.CA economics, LEAR, Sheppard Mullin, and CCP-UEA), 2020-2021

Capacity building for the Albania’s Commission On Protection Of Competition. Training in econometrics, demand estimation, and policy evaluation

Project commissioned by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), (with LEAR), 2020

Retrospective evaluation of the regional aid framework

Study commissioned by DG Competition of the European Commission, (with E.CA economics and Sheppard Mullin), 2018 - 2019

Support study for the evaluation of the rules for operating aid under the EU aviation framework

Study commissioned by DG Competition of the European Commission, (with LEAR and Sheppard Mullin), 2019

Evaluation support study on the EU rules on State aid for access to finance for SMEs

Study commissioned by DG Competition of the European Commission, (with LEAR and Sheppard Mullin), 2019

Approaches to assessing potential competition theories of harm in technology sector mergers: evaluation of past merger decisions

Study commissioned by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), (with LEAR), 2018 - 2019

Capacity building for the Bulgarian Commission on Protection of Competition. Training in econometrics and Ex-post evaluation of competition policy

Project commissioned by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), (with LEAR), 2018

An Appraisal of the study "Feasibility study on the microeconomic impact of enforcement of competition policies on innovation"

Study commissioned by DG Competition of the European Commission 2017

The Economic Impact of Competition Policy Enforcement on the Functioning of Telecom Markets in the EU

Study commissioned by DG Competition of the European Commission, (with LEAR), 2016-2017

Capacity Building Workshop on the Ex-Post Evaluation of Competition Authorities’ Enforcement Decisions: A Critical Discussion (with Peter Ormosi)

OECD Paper DAF/COMP/WP2(2015)8

The Economic Impact of Enforcement of Competition Policies on the Functioning of Energy Markets

Study commissioned by DG Competition of the European Commission (with ICF International), 2014-2015

Mergers in the Dutch grocery sector: an ex-post evaluation. Assessing the effects on price and non-price dimensions of competition

Study commissioned by the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (with LEAR), 2014-2015

Ex-Post Evaluation of Merger Cases

Study commissioned by the UK Competition Commission (with LEAR), 2011

Development and Application of a Methodology for Evaluating the Effectiveness of Competition Policy

Study commissioned by DG Economic and Financial Affairs of the European Commission (with LEAR), 2008

Design of a Methodology for Ex-Post Review of Merger Control Decisions

Study commissioned by DG Competition of the European Commission (with LEAR), 2006

The Governance Forms of Public Owned Firms

Study commissioned by the Austrian Finance Ministry (with the Working Group in Industrial Organization, University of Vienna), 2004

The Regulation of Liberal Professions

Study commissioned by the Austrian Bar Association (with the Working Group in Industrial Organization, University of Vienna), 2003

Comment on the European Commission’s "Draft Commission Notice on the appraisal of horizontal mergers under the Council Regulation on the control of concentrations between undertakings" (with the Working Group in Industrial Organization, University of Vienna), 2003

The Effects of the Merger between ÖBB AG and Post-Bus AG

Study commissioned by the Consortium of Austrian Small Bus Firms (with the Working Group in Industrial Organization, University of Vienna), 2003

Policy Briefs and Newspaper articles

Wettbewerb als Schlüssel für effziente und innovative Infrastrukturinvestitionen,

ifo Schnelldienst 07/2025, 12-16

Addressing the weaknesses of the EU economy through competition and industrial policy,

European Court of Auditors (ECA) Journal 1/2025

Lehren aus der Corona-Pandemie: Staatliche Beihilfen unterstützten vor allem kleine Unternehmen bei der Krisenbewältigung (with Giulia Canzian, Elena Crivellaro, Antonella Ferrara, Alessandro Sasso, and Stefano Verzillo )

DIW Wochenbericht 19 / 2025, S. 265-273

Sondervermögen allein reichen nicht – Fünf dringende Maßnahmen für den Standort Deutschland (with Anna Bindler, Geraldine Dany-Knedlik, Alexander S. Kritikos, and Alexander Kriwoluzky)

DIW Aktuell 112/2025

So sorgen die Sondervermögen für einen echten Aufbruch (with Rupprecht Podszun)

Handelsblatt, March 27, 2025

Facts and fiction in the Draghi Report, (with Martin Peitz)

Concurrences, 2025, 2, 123612

Wettbewerbsorientierte strategische Industriepolitik als Antwort auf den Investitionsstau in Deutschland (with Martin Gornig and Alexander Schiersch)

DIW Aktuell 109/2025

Jetzt droht die neue Plutokratie

Die Zeit, January 14, 2025

Wettbewerb, die unterschätzte Kraft der Wirtschaftspolitik (with Rupprecht Podszun)

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, October 5, 2024

Mehrheit mit Wohnsituation zufrieden, aber beengte Wohnverhältnisse für Familien (with Konstantin A. Kholodilin and Caroline Stiel)

DIW Wochenbericht 41/2024, 635-643

Draghi is right on many issues, but he is wrong on telecoms (with Massimo Motta, Martin Peitz, and Tommaso Valletti

Voxeu.org, September 17 2024

Politikberatung kompakt 199, VI, 147 S., 2023

Breiter Industriestrompreis ist kein geeignetes Entlastungsinstrument (with Lea Bernhardt, Robin Sogalla, and Alexander Schiersch)

DIW Wochenbericht 38/2023, 513-521

Daten als Wettbewerbsvorteil: Regulierer und Wettbewerbsbehörden sollten aufmerksam bleiben (with Hannes Ullrich, Jonas Hannane, Christian Peukert, and Luis Aguiar)

DIW Wochenbericht 27/2023, 366-373

Der Mythos von der Gierflation (with Lea Bernhardt)

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, June 18, 2023

Cloud-Lösungen können Produktivität steigern (with Alexander Schiersch)

DIW Wochenbericht 20/2023, 233-240

Breitbandversorgung erhöht die Produktivität von Unternehmen, aber nicht alle profitieren gleichermaßen, with Alexander Schiersch

DIW Wochenbericht 25/26/2022, 359-365

Das Ende des digitalen wilden Westens

Frankfurter Rundschau & DIW Wochenbericht 15/16 / 2022, 240

Using Compensating Efficiencies to Assess EU Merger Policy (with Pauline Affeldt, Klaus Gugler, and Joanna Piechucka)

Voxeu.org, January 10 2022

Concentration in the EU: Where It is Increasing and Why (with Pauline Affeldt, Klaus Gugler, and Joanna Piechucka)

Promarket, May 19 2021

Marktkonzentrationstrend steigt in Dienstleistungsmärkten deutlich, (with Pauline Affeldt, Klaus Gugler, and Joanna Piechucka)

DIW Wochenbericht 20/2021, 339-347

Facebook Break-up Can Be Feasible, Efficient, and Ultimately Beneficial to Consumers, with Paolo Buccirossi and Emilio Calvano

Promarket, April 7 2021

Durch Airbnb-Vermietungen steigen in Berlin die Mieten, (with Claus Michelsen, Maximilian Schaefer, Kevin Ducbao Tran)

DIW Wochenbericht 7/2021, 95-102

EU-Regionalbeihilfen haben positiven Einfluss auf Investitionen, (with Joanna Piechucka and Jo Seldeslachts)

DIW Wochenbericht 42/2020, 801-808

Google/Fitbit will monetise health data and harm consumers, (with Marc Bourreau, Cristina Caffarra, Zhijun Chen, Chongwoo Choe, Gregory S. Crawford, Christos Genakos, Paul Heidhues, Martin Peitz, Thomas Rønde, Monika Schnitzer, Nicolas Schutz, Michelle Sovinsky, Giancarlo Spagnolo, Otto Toivanen, Tommaso Valletti and Thibaud Vergé)

CEPR Policy Insight No. 107, September 2020

Fusion von Google und Fitbit: Wettbewerbsbehörden können jetzt ein Zeichen setzen: Kommentar, (with Hannes Ullrich)

DIW Wochenbericht 35/2020, 616

Europe must not rush Google-Fitbit deal, (with Francesca Bria, Cristina Caffarra, Gregory Crawford, Wolfie Christl, Johnny Ryan, and Tommaso Valletti) Politco Europe, July 22 2020

Tech-over: Mergers and merger policy in digital markets, (with Elena Argentesi, Paolo Buccirossi, Emilio Calvano, Alessia Marrazzo, Salvatore Nava )

Vox.eu, March 2020

Digitalisierung für das Gemeinwohl: neue Werkzeuge für eine bessere Politik: Kommentar, (with Hannes Ullrich)

DIW Wochenbericht 3/2020, 32

Der Markt allein ist nicht immer in der Lage, Innovationen hervorzubringen, (with Heike Belitz and Alexander Schiersch)

Der Tagesspiegel, January 3, 2020

European merger control: more is better

DIW Weekly Report 16+17+18/2019, 142-143

Europäische Fusionskontrolle: Lieber mehr als weniger

DIW Wochenbericht 16+17+18/2019, 304-305

Industriepolitik der Bundesregierung gefährdet deutsche Exportunternehmen (with Marcel Fratzscher)

Der Tagesspiegel, March 6, 2019