Florence Competition Autumn School

The Autumn School caters to mid-career professionals seeking to deepen their expertise and practical skills in the dynamic fields of competition law and economics. Participants will have the unique opportunity to tap into the vast knowledge and academic excellence of distinguished instructors, empowering them to stay at the forefront of their respective industries. The course is particularly beneficial for:

• Officials from National Competition Authorities, government agencies, and regulatory bodies.

• Associates and partners in law firms specializing in competition law.

• In-house counsels managing competition compliance matters.

• Economic consultants specialising in industrial economics.

• Competition scholars, including doctoral researchers, post-docs, and professors.

• Advocacy officers focused on competition policy and regulatory affairs.

• Specialised journalists reporting for legal information providers.

For professionals seeking to expand their international network of connections within the competitive policy landscape, the ‘residential track’ of the Autumn School provides an ideal setting amidst the captivating beauty of Florence.

• Enhance your comprehension of the framework and essence of EU competition regulations.

• Refine your analytical skills to effectively navigate competition law cases and overcome workplace challenges.

• Foster a comprehensive and interdisciplinary understanding of competitive dynamics and pertinent issues, enriching your contributions to your organisation.

• Stay abreast of the most recent enforcement cases, regulatory advancements, and legislative updates.

• Exchange insights and expertise with fellow participants from diverse sectors and industries.

• Expand your professional network with like-minded individuals who share similar interests and possess complementary expertise.

Super early bird fee: 750€ until 30 April 2026

Regular fee: 1500€; Early Bird fee: 1200€ until 31 July 2026.

NRAs, NCAs, full-time academics, and partners/donors of the CDS: 1200€; Early Bird fee: 1000€ until 31 July 2026.

Group enrolment discounted fee – applicable to groups of three or more participants from the same institution. For more information, please contact digital.society@eui.eu.

Bundle registration fee for all CDS courses: 2500€; payment must be made by 2 October 2026.

The registration fee covers:

• Access to background reading materials
• Course attendance
• 5 Lunches and coffee breaks
• Social activities (e.g. guided tours; aperikeynote)
• Diploma of participation at the end of the course
• Participation to CDS Autumn Conference, EUI campus, Florence (22-23 October 2026)
• Autumn conference dinner (22 October 2026)

The registration fee does not cover:

• Travel costs to Florence
• Accommodation costs in Florence
• Transportation costs from Florence city centre to the EUI campus

Bundle registration fee covers:

• Participation in the Florence Competition Autumn School (19-22 October 2026) + CDS Autumn Conference (22-23 October 2026) at EUI campus. Including lunches, coffee breaks, conference dinner as course regular participant.
• Participation in the online training Regulating Digital Platforms, 5 weeks, (22 February- 24 March 2027)
• Participation in the course New Trends in Digital Regulation (24-27 May 2027) + CDS Summer Conference (27-28 May 2027) at EUI campus. Including lunches, coffee breaks, conference dinner as course regular participant.
• Participation free of charge to any additional short online course (1 day) organised by the CDS during the academic year 2026-2027 (September 2026-August 2027). The offer is valid only for online courses open to the public – i.e. Not for the ad-hoc training courses.

Bundle fee does not cover:

• Travel costs to Florence
• Accommodation costs in Florence
• Transportation costs from Florence city centre to the EUI campus

Bundle fee is granted on an individual basis – i.e. only the registered person has the right to attend the courses included in the bundle offer (i.e. in person and online courses). Bundle fee has to be paid before 2 October 2026, and it is valid for the CDS courses organized in the academic year 2026-2027. Bundle fee is not refundable, even partially.

Cancellation policy and refunds

Early Bird, Super Early Bird and Bundle registration fees are not refundable. Regular fees can be refunded in accordance with the CDS cancellation policy guidelines.

Invitation letter: The CDS Secretariat may issue an invitation letter to apply for visa for non-EU nationals. The letter may be issued only after the payment of the registration fee. For further information, please contact digital.society@eui.eu.

The Florence Competition Autumn School covers both substantive and procedural aspects of competition law and economics with both frontal lectures and practical group exercises. In particular, the School includes frontal lectures and group exercises. Every class lasts 75 minutes: 60 minutes of presentation by the speaker + 15 minutes of Q&A session, in order to incentivize the interaction between the instructor and the participants. During the group exercises, participants will face mock dawn-raids, leniency applications and trials before the EU General Court.

Certificates

At the end of the course, participants who have regularly attended the Autumn School classes will receive a ‘Certificate of Participation’.

The certificates are granted by the European University Institute, a leading post-graduate research centre founded in 1972 by the Member States of the European Union.

Continuing Professional Development

The course’s final certificate can be recognised for training credits by legal professional bodies in Germany, Austria, France, Belgium, Italy, and Ireland, depending on their individual accreditation processes.

Other countries

If you need assistance in liaising with your bar association for accreditation, please contact us at digital.society@eui.eu and we will assist with the process.

For more detailed information, you may check the programme of the previous editions of the Autumn School.