The training on the role of data and innovation for competition and specific competition concerns in the air transport was held on 09-11 July 2018 at RIU Pravets Golf & SPA Resort, Pravets. 13 national judges attended the training.
The training provided the link with the third main ‘non-economic’ rationale of the evolving competition policy, namely data. The judges learnt about the importance of data as an input for innovation and disruptive entry. They discussed the various data-related competition concerns in the data-driven economy and the essential facilities doctrine and its applicability to data.
The training focused on the complex relationships revealed by the interplay between data protection, consumer protection law and competition law. In addition, it presented the importance of the digital price comparison tools for transparency in the digital sector.
Finally, the training paid attention to the airline industry as a case study typical of its international nature, strict rules and paramount competition issues. Through these lens, the second part of the event considered airport charges, market power and abuse of dominance, vertical relations between airports and airlines, airline competition and the impact of dynamic pricing algorithms.
These projects are implemented with the financial support of the Training of National Judges Programme of the European Union under Grant Agreement No. SI2.738369-HT.4989, 2016-2017, and Grant Agreement No. SI2.763330-HT.5232, 2017-2018.