ECIJA and Nebrija University create the Observatory for Regulation and Competition in Digital Markets

ECIJA and Nebrija University have signed a collaboration agreement to create the Observatory for Regulation and Competition in Digital Markets, a joint initiative aimed at analyzing, researching, and disseminating the main challenges posed by the digital economy from a regulatory and competition perspective.

The Observatory was created in a context of profound market transformation, marked by the emergence of technologies such as artificial intelligence, pricing algorithms, digital platforms, and new data-driven business models. Its objective is to establish bridges between academia and professional practice, offering a legal and economic approach applied to the evolution of digital markets and the regulatory frameworks that govern them.

By 2026, the Observatory will analyze, among other things, some of the main challenges posed by the intersection of regulation, competition, and technology, such as the use of algorithms and artificial intelligence systems in potentially collusive behavior, the application of competition regulations and the Digital Markets Act to major digital platforms, the role of data as a competitive asset, platform economy, and the anti-competitive effects of new digital distribution models, as well as challenges arising from automation and algorithmic decision-making.

As part of this collaboration, ECIJA and Nebrija University will promote the publication of periodic reports, the organization of workshops and working sessions with sector experts, as well as conferences and seminars aimed at fostering academic and professional debate.

The academic coordination of the Observatory will be carried out by Fernando Díez Estella, associate professor of commercial law at the Faculty of Economics and Business, on behalf of Nebrija University, and partners Patricia Liñán Hernández and Rafael Piqueras Cuartero on behalf of ECIJA.

The creation of this Observatory "reinforces Nebrija University's strategic commitment to knowledge transfer, dialogue between academia and professional practice, and the generation of rigorous and useful proposals for public and private decision-makers. Through this collaboration, Nebrija strengthens its position as a key academic player in the study of the digital economy, technological regulation, and new market models in the European and international environment", says Fernando Díez.

With this project, ECIJA reinforces its view that "advice on competition law cannot be understood without a deep knowledge of the dynamics inherent in digital markets and their various manifestations: algorithms, governance and data handling, digital platforms, and artificial intelligence, among many others. This Observatory was created precisely to anticipate how these dynamics are redefining the application of competition law and economic regulation, and to actively contribute to this debate from a specialized legal and practical perspective", say Patricia Liñán Hernández and Rafael Piqueras Cuartero, partners in ECIJA's Competition area.

The Observatory will hold its first public event on February 5, focusing on the analysis of the recent ruling by Meta and the convergence between data protection and competition law in the digital economy. This inaugural session marks the beginning of the organization’s activity and reflects its commitment to applied analysis of the main regulatory challenges in digital markets.

You can find more information about this first meeting at this link.

Access the full article published on Elderecho.com here.