Rainer Nitsche
Director, E.CA and Research Fellow, ESMT Berlin
Dr Nitsche is a Director and founder of E.CA Economics and an expert in providing economic advice in competition and litigation cases before the European Commission and national competition authorities in Germany, Austria, the UK and the Netherlands. He has more than 20 years of experience in supporting clients in all fields of competition policy enforcement, including cartel and abuse of a dominant position cases as well as merger control (Phase I and Phase II investigations). In addition, he has advised undertakings on a variety of regulation issues in network industries and several European national governments and State aid recipients in State aid control proceedings. He is named a Global Elite Thought Leader in GCR’s Who’s Who Competition report. Additionally, Dr Nitsche is ranked #1 Competition Economist in Germany by the renowned legal publication JUVE in 2023 and was named competition economist of the year 2024 by Lexology Index.
Besides renowned law firms, his clients have also included the European Commission and British, Dutch and German competition and regulatory authorities. Since 2006, he has regularly testified as an expert on merger and litigation cases for the Austrian Cartel Court. Dr Nitsche has conducted overcharge and damage assessments for courts, plaintiffs and defendants in more than twenty cartel matters (e.g. automotive glass, acoustic and thermal isolation products, bearings, beer, chemicals (BBT), cold cuts, de-icing salt, district heating, elevators and escalators, financial products, firefighting vehicles, grocery retail, liquefied petroleum gas, rails, sugar, trucks) and he has advised and testified in more than forty merger proceedings (e.g. Novomatic/Casino Austria, Heidelberg Cement/Italcementi, Telefónica/E-Plus, H3G/O2, Liberty Global/Kabel BW, Strabag/Lafarge, Vattenfall/Nuon, REWE/Adeg, T-Mobile/tele.ring). In addition, he has advised on a number of abuse of dominant position cases in the telecommunications and other network industries.
Prior to his work for E.CA, Dr Nitsche was Vice President in the Competition Practice and Director of the Brussels office of CRA International. Prior to his five years in Brussels, he was an economic consultant at Price Waterhouse and Arthur Andersen in London and Berlin.
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- Dr. rer. oec. in Economics, Humboldt University of Berlin
- MSc in Economics, London School of Economics
- Diplom Volkswirt, Freie Universität Berlin
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- Papers & reports
When Do Markets Tip? An Overview and Some Insights for Policy
Find out in the latest research by Özlem Bedre Defolie, associate professor at ESMT Berlin, and Rainer Nitsche, director at E.CA Economics and research fellow at ESMT Berlin, published by the Journal of European Competition Law and Practice.
Competition authorities are increasingly concerned that their tools are not fit to deal with markets with digital multi-sided platforms (MSPs). These markets have a tendency to ‘tip’ in the sense that one MSP takes it all or dominates the market by far. Policy makers, including the EC, are currently considering various initiatives to prevent tipping in markets with MSPs. At least in Europe, general search markets have tipped for Google, and many social media markets have tipped for Facebook. Several regional platform markets, however, did not tip (e.g. real estate, music, video-on-demand streaming). This raises some interesting questions: Why don’t we have tipping in these markets? Might they tip? Should competition authorities and regulators follow a particular strategy to prevent tipping in markets at risk of tipping?
- Article
GCR Insight – Enforcer Hub – Germany overview
Hans W. Friederiszick, Thomas Hildebrand, Simone Kohnz, Rainer Nitsche, GCR Insight, Enforcer Hub, January 2021An extract from GCR’s Enforcer Hub is available here. The whole publication is available at https://globalcompetitionreview.com/insight/enforcer-hub/2020
- Papers & reports
GCR Insight – Handbook of Competition Economics 2019 – Germany overview
Hans W. Friederiszick, Simone Kohnz, Rainer Nitsche, GCR Insight, 2018 Law Business Research Ltd, ISBN:978-78915-106-0, October 2018Our team contributed to the Competition Economics Handbook 2019 – Germany overview – which is now live on GCR Insight.
- Mergers
- Papers & reports
Recent economic applications in EU merger control: UPP and beyond
More than a decade since the introduction of the ‘significant impediment to effective competition’ test (SIEC test) in the EU, refined economic methods have become increasingly relevant to the evaluation of mergers. This paper addresses three of the more important assessment methods in this context: the UPP (upward pricing pressure) method, the analysis of ‘natural experiments’ and the analysis of bidding data.
- Cartels and other anti-competitive agreements
- Papers & reports
Multiple rounds in a chain store game
Rainer Nitsche, Michael Melles, Springer, Theory and Decision, doi: 10.1007/s11238-016-9551-2, November 2016- Mergers
- Papers & reports
Upward Pricing Pressure Analysis: Critical Issues in Recent Applications
Rainer Nitsche, Lars Wiethaus, Journal of European Competition Law & Practice 6, 48-53., January 2015- Mergers
- Papers & reports
A price concentration study on European mobile telecom markets
- Cartels and other anti-competitive agreements
- Papers & reports
Margin squeeze : An overview of EU and national case law
- Papers & reports
Market Definition of Broadband Internet in Slovakia: are Fixed and Mobile in the Relevant Market?
Rainer Nitsche, Frank Verboven, Lukasz Grzybowski, Lars Wiethaus, Information Economics and Policy, 28, 39-56, January 2014- Papers & reports
Screening and Merger Activity
Albert Banal-Estanol, Rainer Nitsche, Paul Heidhues, Jo Seldeslachts (Amsterdam), Journal of Industrial Economics, Vol. 58 (4), pp. 794–817, December 2010- Cartels and other anti-competitive agreements
The European Commission’s New Guidance on Exclusionary Abuses – Practical Implications : An Economic Perspective
Rainer Nitsche, Webcast Seminar : The European Commission's New Guidance on Exclusionary Abuses, Brussels, January 2009- Papers & reports
T-Mobile/tele. ring: analysing mavericks and efficiencies in "the first gap case".
- Papers & reports
Wettbewerbsökonomische Analyse der Auswirkungen von Fusionen
Rainer Nitsche, Recht und Ökonomie im europäischen Wettbewerbsrecht, 53-70. In der Schriftenreihe Europäisches Recht, Politik und Wirtschaft; Bd.318, January 2006- Type of publication
Study on the Port of Rotterdam – Market Definition and Market Power
Rainer Nitsche, CRA-Study for the Dutch competition authority (Nederlandse Mededingingsautoriteit, NMa), December 2004- Papers & reports
Study on the Port of Rotterdam – Market Definition and Market Power
Rainer Nitsche, CRA-Study for the Dutch competition authority (Nederlandse Mededingingsautoriteit, NMa), December 2004- Papers & reports
Innovation in the pharmaceutical sector
- Mergers
- Papers & reports
Comments to the Draft Notice on Horizontal Merger Control.
- Papers & reports
Are Anti-Predation Rules in the Public Interest?
Rainer Nitsche, CRA Competition Policy Discussion Paper 5, Charles River Associates Limited, September 2002- Papers & reports
Incentive to Grow : Multimarket Firms and Predation.
- Cartels and other anti-competitive agreements
- Litigation, damages and arbitration
- Mergers
- Papers & reports
- Regulated industries and market design
- State aid
The Handbook of Competition Economics 2012 – Germany (country chapter)
Hans W. Friederiszick, Rainer Nitsche, Dennis Beling, In: C. Campbell (Ed.), The Handbook of Competition Economics 2012. Nottinghamshire: Encompass Print Solutions.An extract from The Handbook of Competition Economics 2012- a Global Competition Review special report – www.GlobalCompetitionReview.com.
- Papers & reports
Großhandelsmärkte für Strom – Marktintegration und Wettbewerb aus deutscher Perspektive
Rainer Nitsche, Lars Wiethaus, Lars-Hendrik Röller, A. Ockenfels, Energiewirtschaftliche Tagesfragen, 3-2010.- Mergers
- Papers & reports
Defining product markets for shopping centers – Thoughts on methodological choices
- Mergers
- Papers & reports
Defining Product Markets for Retail Rental Space: Thoughts on Methodological Choices
- Papers & reports
- Regulated industries and market design
Access regulation and investment in next generation networks – A ranking of regulatory regimes
- Papers & reports
GCR Insight – Handbook of Competition Economics 2020 – Germany overview
Hans W. Friederiszick, Simone Kohnz, and Rainer Nitsche contributed to the Competition Economics Handbook 2020 – Germany overview
- Cartels and other anti-competitive agreements
- Litigation, damages and arbitration
- Mergers
- Papers & reports
- Regulated industries and market design
- State aid
The Handbook of Competition Economics 2014 – Germany (country chapter)
“An extract from The Handbook of Competition Economics 2014 – www.GlobalCompetitionReview.com”
- Papers & reports
- State aid
Owner Effect and Sunk Investments
Rainer Nitsche, Ulrich Soltész, Europäische Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftsrecht, issue 11/2012: 408-413.- Papers & reports
Wege zur effizienten Organisation des öffentlichen Personennahverkehrs. Optionen für die kommunalen gebietskörperschaften
Rainer Nitsche, Price Waterhouse Brochure.- Papers & reports
- Regulated industries and market design
Liberalization and Privatization of London Transport
Rainer Nitsche, DVG Schriftenreihe, B213.- Papers & reports
Liberalisierung von Netzökonomien. Herausforderung für die Wettbewerbspolitik (Liberalizing Network Industries. A Challenge for Competition Policy)
Rainer Nitsche, In Die Soziale Marktwirtschaft in der neuen Weltwirtschaft (WZB-Jahrbuch 2001), ed. L.-H Röller and C. Wey, 249-290. Fulda: Fuldaer Verlagsagentur.- Papers & reports
Nach der Liberalisierung. Eine Herausforderung für die Wettbewerbspolitik (Competition after Liberalization. A challenge for competition policy).
Rainer Nitsche, WZB-Mitteilungen, 92, June 2001:12-15.- Cartels and other anti-competitive agreements
- Papers & reports
On the Effectiveness of Anti-Predation Rules
Rainer Nitsche, WZB Discussion Paper FS IV 02-12, 2002.- Type of publication
An assessment of the extent of an identifed need for simplified, standard financial services products.
Rainer Nitsche, CRA-Study for the European Commission, DG Health and Consumer Protection- Papers & reports
Economics on the Advance—European Reform and German Competition Policy (Die ökonomische Analyse auf dem Vormarsch – Europäische Reform und deutsche Wettbewerbspolitik)
- Papers & reports
- Regulated industries and market design
Competition Law in Regulated Industries: On the Case and Scope for Intervention
Rainer Nitsche, Lars Wiethaus, Journal of European Competition Law & Practice 2012, doi: 10.1093/jeclap/lpr087.- Papers & reports
- Regulated industries and market design
The Electricity Wholesale Sector: Market Integration and Competition
- Litigation, damages and arbitration
- Papers & reports
Competitive Impacts of Information Exchange
Rainer Nitsche, Paper written on behalf of the European Liner Affairs Association in the context of the reform of Regulation 4056/86.- Papers & reports
- State aid
Comments on state aid reform: Some implications of an Effects-based approach.
Rainer Nitsche, In Conferences on New Political Economy, Vol. 24 : The More Economic Approach to European Competition Law, ed. D. Schmidtchen, M. Albert and Stefan Voigt, 321-344. Frankfurt a. M. : Mohr Siebeck.- Papers & reports
- State aid
Study on Methods to Analyse the Effects of State Aid on Competition
Rainer Nitsche, European Economy No 244.- Mergers
- Papers & reports
Screening and Merger Activity
Rainer Nitsche, Albert Banal-Estanol, Jo Seldeslachts, Journal of Industrial Economics 58 (4):794-817.- Papers & reports
- Regulated industries and market design
NGA: Access Regulation, Investment, and Welfare. A Model Based Comparative Analysis
- Papers & reports
- State aid
Comments on State Aid Reform – some Implications of an Effects-based Approach.
Rainer Nitsche, European State Aid Law Quarterly, 5: 23-34.- Papers & reports
- Regulated industries and market design
Access Regulation and Investment in the Next Generation Networks: A Ranking of Regulatory Regimes
- Papers & reports
- State aid
Does Europe need subsidized competition for achieving the goal of rapid deployment of broadband networks?
Rainer Nitsche, Hans W. Friederiszick, Lars-Hendrik Röller, Comments on the draft Community Guidelines for the application of State aid rules in relation to rapid deployment of broadband networks. Submitted to the EC Commission. -
- Cartels and other anti-competitive agreements
- Presentations
Presentation at ERA Summer Course on European Competition Law
Rainer Nitsche presented at the ERA Summer Course on European Competition Law in Trier. He talked about “Competition policy and economics; an introduction” & “Defining the relevant market: methodology and challenges”.
- Cartels and other anti-competitive agreements
- Presentations
Presentation at GCR Live 5th Annual Telecoms, Media & Technology
Rainer Nitsche Presented at GCR Live 5th Annual Telecoms, Media & Technology in London. He talked about “Mobile to mobile mergers: New paradigm or market-specific issues?”
- Mergers
- Presentations
Mobile telephony mergers: Telefonica/E-plus
- Litigation, damages and arbitration
- Presentations
Cartel Presumptions, Quantification and Pass-on – a Claimant’s View.
- Presentations
- State aid
Regional Aid – Observations on Welfare and Entrepreneurs
- Litigation, damages and arbitration
- Presentations
Workshop on EU Cartel Litigation The Economists’ role
Rainer Nitsche, Hans W. Friederiszick, Antitrust and Competition Law Compliance, Amsterdam, September 2013- Presentations
A panel discussion on the competition law of joint ventures.
- Cartels and other anti-competitive agreements
- Presentations
Comments on Sector Inquiries and Joint Ventures
- Presentations
Materielle Fusionskontrolle : Leitfaden und 8. GWB-Novelle
- Mergers
- Presentations
Efficiencies as a Meaningful Defence in Merger Control
Rainer Nitsche, Presentation at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Competition Law and Policy (ICC) and Crowell and Moring LPP Annual Conference, Brussels, June 2012- Mergers
- Presentations
LGI’s Acquisition of KBW – Effects on Competition and Bargaining Power
- Mergers
- Presentations
Strabag/Lafarge – critical customer approach and other methods
- Mergers
- Presentations
Magna/Karmann: Collective Dominance and Treatment of Customer Statements as Evidence
- Cartels and other anti-competitive agreements
- Mergers
- Presentations
Conglomerate Merger Control and Predation
- Presentations
- Regulated industries and market design
DF Profitability for Investors and Access Seekers in Different Regulatory Environments and Investment Settings
- Presentations
- Regulated industries and market design
Assessing Risk Sharing Proposals
- Presentations
- State aid
Private Investor Test – Economic Methods to Determine the Behaviour of Private Investors in the Counterfactual
- Cartels and other anti-competitive agreements
- Litigation, damages and arbitration
- Mergers
- Presentations
Role of Economic Analyses in Competition Law
- Litigation, damages and arbitration
- Presentations
Quantification of Damages in Private Enforcement Actions
Rainer Nitsche, Seminar der Konrad Adenauer Stiftung : Europaische Wettbewerbspolitik am Beispiel des Europaischen Kartellrechts, Brussels, May 2009- Presentations
Managing Economic Analysis in Competition Law
- Cartels and other anti-competitive agreements
- Presentations
- Regulated industries and market design
Regulating Dominant Firms – Predation Strategies in the Transport Sector
- Presentations
- Regulated industries and market design
Ex ante Regulation – The Mobile Telephony Case
- Mergers
- Presentations
- Regulated industries and market design
What is Driving Utility Industry Consolidation?
Rainer Nitsche, The Institute of Economic Affairs' 6th Annual Conference "Energy 2007 : Challenges across Europe", Brussels, October 2007- Cartels and other anti-competitive agreements
- Mergers
- Presentations
The “More Economic Approach” in EU Competition Policy: 5 Hypotheses.
- Presentations
- Regulated industries and market design
International Comparison of Mobile Termination Rates
Rainer Nitsche, Bundesnetzagentur : "Prasentation Enteltgenehmigungsantrag von T-Mobile", Bonn, October 2007- Cartels and other anti-competitive agreements
- Presentations
Benefit and Harm of Information Exchange
- Presentations
- State aid
Comments on State Aid Reform – Some Implications of an Effects-based Approach
Rainer Nitsche, 25th Conference on Political Economy: "Frontiers of EC Antitrust Enforcement: The More Economic Approach", Saarbrücken, October 2006- Presentations
- State aid
The Most Appropriate Economic Tool for a Better Targeted State Aid Policy
Rainer Nitsche, Massimo Merola, Leigh Hancher, GCLC Conference "Economic Analysis of State Aid Rules - Contributions and Limits", Brussels, September 2006- Presentations
- Regulated industries and market design
Strategic Thoughts on the Regulation of Mobile Termination Rates
Rainer Nitsche, Symposium Humboldt Universität Berlin: "Weichenstellung in der Mobilfunkregulierung", Berlin, September 2006- Presentations
- State aid
The Economic Assessment of State Aid – How it can be done
- Presentations
- State aid
Selectivity, Economic Advantage, Distortion of Competition and Effect of Trade
- Presentations
- State aid
A Refined Economic Approach in European State Aid Control – The Art of Assessing Market Failures
Rainer Nitsche, 4th Annual Experts' Forum on New Developments in European State Aid Control, Brussels, March 2006- Presentations
- State aid
State Aid Reform – Implications and Open Issues
Rainer Nitsche, Best Friends Law Firm Network, 21 February 2006, Brussels and 3rd Annual CRA Conference, Brussels, December 2005- Presentations
- State aid
The Economic Approach regarding Innovation Aid
Rainer Nitsche, Berliner Gesprächskreis 7tes Treffen Aktionsplan "Staatliche Beihilfen", der ökonomische Ansatz; Innovation und FuE-Beihilfen, Berlin, December 2005- Presentations
- State aid
The Effect of State Aid on Competition
- Mergers
- Presentations
Examples for Economic Analyses in Merger Control
Rainer Nitsche, Kolloquium "Recht und Ökonomie im Europäischen Wirtschaftsrecht", Freiburg, July 2005- Presentations
- Regulated industries and market design
Innovation Crisis? The Role of Incentives to Innovate.
- Cartels and other anti-competitive agreements
- Presentations
The Role of Economic Analysis in Applying Art. 81
Rainer Nitsche, ERA (Europäische Rechtsakademie) Tagung "Der Einfluss des europäischen Wettbewerbsrechts auf die nationale Richter- und Anwaltspraxis", Vienna, March 2005- Presentations
- Regulated industries and market design
Innovation in the Pharmaceutical Industry.
- Presentations
- State aid
State Aid – The Effect on Trade
Rainer Nitsche, ERA (Europäische Rechtsakademie) 7. Forum zum europäischen Beihilfenrecht, Trier, November 2003- Cartels and other anti-competitive agreements
- Presentations
On the Effectiveness of Anti-Predation Rules
Rainer Nitsche, IUI Stockholm Research Institute of Industrial Economics, 10 December 2002, Stockholm / EEA (European Economic Association) Congress 2002, 22-24 August 2002, Venice / WZB Economic Seminar Series, Berlin, February 2002- Presentations
- Regulated industries and market design
Liberalisation in a Social Market Economy: Challenges for Competition Policy
- Mergers
- Presentations
Discussion of “Why Mergers Reduce Profits and Raise Share Prices – A Thery of Preemptive Mergers”, by Sven-Olof Fridolfsson and Johan Stennek
- Cartels and other anti-competitive agreements
- Presentations
Incentives to Grow: Multimarket Firms and Predation
Rainer Nitsche, 27th EARIE (European Association for Research in Industrial Economics) Annual Conference, Lausanne, September 2000- Presentations
- Regulated industries and market design
Experiences with the Tendering Regime of London Buses
- Presentations
- Regulated industries and market design
Liberalisation and Privatisation of London Transport
Rainer Nitsche, 30. Verkehrswissenschaftliches Seminar der Gesellschaft für Verkehrswissenschaft und Regionalpolitik an der Universität Freiburg (Prof. Dr. Knieps) in Verbindung mit der Verkehrswissenschaftlichen Gesellschaft, Hinterzarten, October 1997- Presentations
- Regulated industries and market design
Comment to the Draft Postal Act of the German Government
Rainer Nitsche, Öffentlichen Anhörung zum Postgesetzentwurf der Bundesregierung, Bonn, September 1997- Presentations
- Regulated industries and market design
Liberalisation of Local Bus Services in London
Rainer Nitsche, Gastvortrag bei Prof. Dr. Jürgen Müller, Fachlochschule für Wirtschaft Berlin, June 1997- Presentations
- Regulated industries and market design
Market Structure in a Liberalised Postal Market
Rainer Nitsche, Gastvortrag im Seminar "Wettbewerb und Regulierung in Europa", Prof. Dr. Tomann, FU-Berlin, Berlin, 22 January 1999, 9 May 1997, November 1996- Mergers
- Presentations
Mergers & Acquisitions Lecture
Rainer Nitsche, Seminar im Auftrag von Professor Röller für das wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Hauptstudium an der Humboldt Universität Berlin, Wintersemester 2000, Berlin.- Presentations
- Regulated industries and market design
Electrified? Liberalisation of European Electricity Markets
Rainer Nitsche, Jean Monet Seminar im Auftrag von Professor Hubert für das wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Hauptstudium and der Freien Universität, Wintersemester 1999, Berlin