Between 13 – 14 October 2025, a delegation of the Competition Council took part in the seminar organized by the Directorate-General for Competition (DG Competition) of the European Commission, held in Brussels. The event brought together representatives of competition authorities and state-aid authorities from neighbouring countries and candidate states for accession to the European Union.

Over the course of the two days, experts from DG Competition provided a detailed overview of the latest developments in the areas of State aid, antitrust, and merger control, based on European legislation and enforcement practice.

The first day of the seminar was dedicated to State aid, featuring presentations on the notification and assessment procedures, as well as on the concept of aid and the compatibility criteria under the EU framework. Participants had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the most recent legislative amendments, including the Regional Aid Guidelines, and with specific aspects related to aid for the energy transition and the postal sector.

The second day of the seminar was dedicated to the application of antitrust rules and the merger control procedure, featuring sessions on investigative tools, cooperation within the European Competition Network (ECN+), as well as on the assessment of theories of harm and remedies in merger cases.

Participation in this seminar provided the representatives of the Competition Council with the opportunity to update their knowledge of DG Competition’s practices and to strengthen their understanding of European principles and procedures – an essential aspect for the continuous alignment of the national authority’s activities with European Union standards.