The Law and Economics of State Aid before National Courts

Pictured above: Delegates & Speakers outside the Law Society of Ireland

The Sutherland School of Law welcomed judges and prosecutors from across the European Union to UCD from the 6th to the 7th July 2017 for an international conference on The Law and Economics of State Aid before National Courts, which was organised by Professor Suzanne Kingston in conjunction with Oxera Economics Consultancy. The conference was co-funded by the European Commission (DG Competition) as a judicial training course for national court judges and prosecutors. The event received a huge amount of interest and was fully subscribed with 23 judges and prosecutors from Member States including Italy, Spain, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Romania, Croatia, Hungary and the Czech Republic travelling to Dublin to attend the event.

 The event programme featured top European experts in the field of State aid, including:
- Kelyn Bacon, QC, Brick Court Chambers, London
- The Hon. Mr. Justice John D. Cooke (formerly General Court of the European Union and Irish High Court)
- Professor Suzanne Kingston, University College Dublin and Law Library, Dublin
- The Hon. Mr. Justice Aindrias Ó Caoimh (formerly Court of Justice of the European Union and Irish High Court)
- Dr. Diarmuid Rossa Phelan, Senior Counsel and Trinity College Dublin
- Nicole Robins, Head of State aid team, Oxera Economics Consultancy, London and Brussels
- Professor Erika Szyzczak, University of Sussex and Littleton Chambers, London
 
The topics covered include:

- State aid and taxation;
- The role of the national judge in assessing the unlawfulness of State aid;
- Remedies before national courts for breach of the State aid rules;
- Key issues in the economics of State aid law;
- Case study on handling economic evidence in State aid cases as a national judge.

As well as engaging seminars and practical case study analysis, the event provided delegates with the opportunity to discuss and share experiences of issues relating to the various topics.

The conference dinner which took place at the Law Society of Ireland provided a memorable conclusion to the event.
The event received excellent feedback with judges commending, in particular, the balance between law and economics.

Pictured Below: Nicole Roberts of Oxera Economic Consultancy addresses delegates in the Moot Court at the Sutherland School of Law.