Alexis Walckiers
Director
Dr Alexis Walckiers is a Director in the Brussels office of E.CA Economics. Before joining E.CA, he was chief economist of the Belgian Competition Authority (BCA) from 2010 to 2020. As chief economist, he sat on the board of the BCA and advised investigation teams and Competition Colleges on the use of economic tools in competition cases and represented the BCA in international fora.
Alexis holds degrees in philosophy and physics, as well as a PhD in economics from the Université Libre de Bruxelles, where he teaches microeconomics to economics and business students. He has published several papers in competition and economic journals, including the Journal of the European Economic Association.
Alexis has always been active in professional associations. He currently serves as the president of the Association pour l’Etude du Droit de la Concurrence (AEDC-VSMR) and is a past-president of the Association of Competition Economics.
At the BCA, Alexis advised on all types of cases and is still across a wide range of competition-related issues (including merger filings, abuses of dominance, cartels, damages and state aid) and works on cases in different industries such as retail, telecoms, ports, car distribution, logistics and postal services.
Alexis advises clients in French, Dutch and English.
-
- PhD in Economics, Université Libre de Bruxelles
- MA in Economics, Université Libre de Bruxelles
-
- Article
- Competition
- Competition Economics
- Competition Law
How to Choose the Lesser Evil When Defining Local Markets?
Economists often weigh the pros and cons of different alternatives, none of which is ideal (or first best in economic jargon). The latest paper of our director Alexis Walckiers and his former colleague of the Belgian Competition Authority, Olivier Body, discusses one of such choices: whether to define local markets by relying on catchment areas or by applying a hypothetical monopoly test. It argues that competition authorities should recognise more explicitly that this choice should be driven by the quality of the available data.
They address the issue of geographic market definition, which could be discussed in the context of the review of the Communication on the definition of the relevant market. Specifically, based on the observation that competition authorities use two methods to define the relevant geographic market (the SSNIP test and catchment areas), they argue that the Guidelines should more explicitly recognize that the quality of the available data should guide the choice of the most appropriate method.
- Article
Analyse de la concurrence locale par l’Autorité belge de la Concurrence
Alexis Walckiers, Olivier Body, Griet Jans, Jeroen Vander Cruyssen, Bert Willekens, Revue de la Concurrence Belge, Vol. 2020-4, p.330, December 2020Our director Alexis Walckiers has published an article on the analysis of local competition by the Belgian Competition Authority with his former colleagues Olivier Body, Griet Jans, Jeroen Vander Cruyssen, and Bert Willekens.
This article seeks to explain how local markets are defined by the Belgian Competition Authority, depending on the quality of available data.- Papers & reports
Abuse of Economic Dependence
Alexis Walckiers, Revue de Droit Commercial Belge - Tijdschrift voor Belgisch Handelsrecht - RDC - TBH, September 2020Director Alexis Walckiers’ foreword on Abuse of economic dependence published in the Revue de Droit Commercial Belge – Tijdschrift voor Belgisch Handelsrecht – RDC – TBH
The Belgian Competition Authority has a new competence on abuse of economic dependence since August 2020. How will the new law be applied in practice? Is the way ahead likely to be bumpy?
Alexis raises a number of economic issues in his foreword for the Revue de Droit Commercial Belge – Tijdschrift voor Belgisch Handelsrecht and reflects on how this new law could be implemented in practice, highlighting that the BCA and the Courts will have to further clarify what companies can and cannot do.
- Papers & reports
In de greep van investeringsfondsen
- Papers & reports
Use of impact studies in merger control
Alexis Walckiers, Liber Amicorum Jarig Van Sinderen, Autoriteit Consument en Markt: 21-23, April 2019- Papers & reports
The economics of hub-and-spoke collusion, Vertikale Wettbewerbsbeschränkungen
- Papers & reports
A theory of hub-and-spoke collusion
Alexis Walckiers, N. Sahuguet, International Journal of Industrial Organization, vol. 53, p. 353-370, January 2017[previously circulated as: Selling to a cartel of retailers: a model of hub-and-spoke collusion, CEPR Discussion Paper 9385, 2013]
- Papers & reports
Towards guidance on vertical restraints to iron out perceived enforcement discrepancies across Europe?
Alexis Walckiers, N. Sahuguet, J. Steenbergen, T. Vergé, Journal of European Competition Law and Practice, 7(4): 274-279., April 2016- Papers & reports
Le fonctionnement des marchés: un screening horizontal
Alexis Walckiers, L. Tsyganok, E. Van Hirtum, P. Van Herreweghe, 21ème Congrès des économistes de langue française, La croissance: Réalités and perspectives, E. De Keuleneer and al. (eds), Belgium, Université ouverte, November 2015- Papers & reports
Hub-and-spoke conspiracies: the vertical expression of a horizontal desire?
Alexis Walckiers, N. Sahuguet, Journal of European Competition Law and Practice, 5 (10): 711-716, December 2014- Papers & reports
Elargissement du contrôle des concentrations aux participations minoritaires: quelques avantages et inconvénients
Alexis Walckiers, Liber Amicorum Jacques Steenbergen. D. Arts, W. Devroe, R. Foqué, K. Marchand, I. Verougstraete (eds.), Mundi and Europae Civis, November 2014- Papers & reports
Rôle du Chief economist
Alexis Walckiers, G. Jans, Tijdschrift voor Belgische Mededinging – Revue de la Concurrence Belge, 1: 17-22., January 2014- Papers & reports
Editorial – From the prosecution of infringements to a systematic analysis of markets
- Papers & reports
De opvolging van marktwerking, een zinvol economisch instrument?
- Papers & reports
Competition and price regulation of services in Belgium
Alexis Walckiers, J. Steenbergen, Reflets and Perspectives de la Vie Economique, 2011/3, Tome L: 53-71., October 2011- Papers & reports
Mergers: Can competition authorities agree to disagree?
- Papers & reports
L’analyse économique dans le cadre d’enquêtes de concurrence
Alexis Walckiers, Tijdschrift voor Belgische Mededinging – Revue de la Concurrence Belge, 2: 28-31, April 2010- Papers & reports
Multidimensional Contracts with Task-Specific Productivities: An Application to Universities
[republished in Higher education in a globalized world: governance, competition and performance. M. Dewatripont, F. Thys-Clément and L. Wilkin (eds), Bruxelles: Editions de l’Université de Bruxelles, 2008.]
- Papers & reports
Edition scientifique et pouvoir de marché
Alexis Walckiers, M. Dewatripont, V. Ginsburgh, P. Legros, La publication scientifique : analyses et perspectives. Schöpfel J. (éd.), Paris : Hermès Science – Lavoisier, November 2008- Papers & reports
A Microeconomic perspective on the production of Science and Higher Education
- Papers & reports
What means rich in publishing? Competition between for-profit and not-for-profit publishers from an economist’s point of view
- Papers & reports
Pricing of Journals and Market Power
Alexis Walckiers, M. Dewatripont, V. Ginsburgh, P. Legros, Journal of the European Economic Association, 5(2–3): 400–410, May 2007[previously circulated as CORE Discussion Paper 2007/22.]
- Papers & reports
The Economic and Technical Evolution of the Scientific Publication Markets in Europe
Alexis Walckiers, M. Dewatripont, V. Ginsburgh, P. Legros for ECARES, J.-P. Devroey, M. Dujardin, F. Vandooren, P. Dubois, J. Foncel, M. Ivaldi, M.-D. Heusse, Report for DG Research, European Commission, 1-112., January 2006