On 1 July this year, the Danish Competition Council was reduced from 18 to seven members, two of which are from Aarhus BSS. Professor Philipp Schröder and Associate Professor Pernille Wegener Jessen have already taken up their important positions and now contribute towards promoting the business sector for the benefit of consumers who are ensured competitive prices.

"Like the former Competition Council, the new Competition Council makes decisions within the scope of the Danish Competition Act in cases of either fundamental or major importance e.g. in connection with major mergers, anti-competitive agreements or when companies abuse their dominant position,” Pernille Wegener Jessen explains.

"Furthermore, the new Competition Council now has the overall responsibility for how the Danish Competition and Consumer Authority administers the Competition Act as well as for approving competition analyses initiated by the authority,” Pernille Wegener Jessen explains when describing the role of the new Competition Council.

Research and knowledge for the benefit of the business sector and consumers

Philipp Schröder points to the importance of his and Jessen’s role in the Competition Council for Aarhus BSS.

“Apart from performing tasks which are similar to ordinary board work we, as experts of the Competition Council, can contribute to the application of academic research in the Danish Competition and Consumer Authority,” he says and continues: 

“The daily work of the Danish Competition and Consumer Authority takes place in the interface between law and economics and business economics, and here we have a broad foundation of knowledge and research at Aarhus BSS which we can apply through our work for the Competition Council.” 

With no less than two members on the council, we are able to ensure that research and knowledge from Aarhus BSS are applied in practice for the benefit of the Danish business sector and of the consumers.

Facts:

The new Competition Council consists of:

• Christian Schultz, economist, professor and department head at the University of Copenhagen. Current chairman of the board and also chairman of the new council
• Caroline Heide-Jørgensen, attorney and professor at the University of Copenhagen. Current vice-chair and also vice-chair of the new council
• Philipp Schröder (new member), economist and professor at Aarhus BSS
• Pernille Wegener Jessen, attorney and associate professor at Aarhus BSS
• Jan-Erik Svensson (new member), former partner in the law firm Gorrissen Federspiel
• Vibeke Krag (new member), Master of Laws (LLM), professional board member and former executive vice president in Codan.
• Torsten Ringberg (new member), professor at Copenhagen Business School

Former Aarhus BSS members:

Associate Professor Pernille Wegener Jessen was an alternate member of the previous Competition Council from 2009-2012 and a permanent member from 2012-2015.

Professor of economics Bo Sandemann Rasmussen was also a member of the previous Competition Council from 2005-2015.