Special edition: PR24 redetermination: what the CMA's decision means for UK households and water regulation

Episode 27: How does economic policy shape European markets?

In this episode of Top of the Agenda, Helen Jenkins sits down with Sir Philip Lowe, who spent over 40 years at the European Commission, to reflect on his career.   From his early work in the 1970s responding to the decline of industries such as coal and steel, Sir Philip’s career spans regional and rural development, building the single market, merger policy reform, European energy infrastructure, competition enforcement, and international trade negotiations.   Together, they explore how innovative policy can and has shaped positive, long-term outcomes for European markets and the people they serve.

Episode 26: How will Europe be affected by the global oil and gas supply crisis?

The conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran, which has disrupted traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, has caused major disruption in global oil and gas supplies, triggering complex economic consequences across industries and markets far beyond the energy sector.   In this episode of Top of the Agenda, Helen Jenkins is joined by Bill Farren-Price, Senior Research Fellow and Head of Gas Research at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, and Jostein Kristensen, Senior Advisor in Oxera’s Energy Practice. Together they discuss the impact of the global energy supply crisis on Europe and explore what we can expect in the short and long term.

Episode 25: Draft merger guidelines: can we ensure dynamic and innovative markets flourish in Europe?

The European Commission's draft merger guidelines are one of the most important ongoing debates in European policy. Nearly two decades have passed since the guidelines were last reviewed, and the new draft draws upon years of practice and precedent, reassessing core concerns around market power and consumer harm in today's digitalised, networked economy, where innovation is central to sustainable growth. In this episode of Top of the Agenda, Helen Jenkins is joined by Guillaume Loriot, Deputy Director-General for Mergers at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Competition, and Massimo Motta, Research Professor of Economics at ICREA, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), and the Barcelona School of Economics. Together they discuss the draft guidelines and how greater emphasis might be placed on innovation, resilience, investment incentives, industrial scale, and Europe's global competitiveness, all alongside the core aim of merger control: protecting the long-term interests of consumers.

Special edition: PR24 redetermination: what the CMA's decision means for UK households and water regulation

In this special edition of Top of the Agenda, we’re diving into the UK water sector to explore the Competition and Markets Authority's (CMA) final determinations: the PR 24 Redetermination process.   In England and Wales, the amount consumers pay for their water is regulated by the Office of Water Regulation (Ofwat). Five water companies: Anglian, Northumbrian, South East, Southern and Wessex disputed the price control decisions made by Ofwat in December 2024 and exercised their statutory right to ask the CMA to reconsider. The CMA has now delivered its verdict.   Helen Jenkins is joined by four members of Oxera's water team—Partner Christopher Davis and Managing Consultants Charles Blake, Daniel Brown, and Joseph Duffy—to unpack what the CMA decided, why it matters to UK households, and what it signals for the future of water regulation.

Episode 24: Behavioural economics: how does decision-making impact business and policy?

Behavioural economics is all around us — from competition rulings, like the Google Search ruling in the US, to EU regulations targeting online dark patterns. It affects how we combat consumer manipulation, design policy, and even understand the behaviour of music fans. In this latest episode, Helen Jenkins is joined by Hélène Bourguignon, Oxera Partner, to share the highlights of a recent event hosted by Oxera in Paris on behavioural economics and its implications for competition and regulation. The internationally renowned speakers explored how people make decisions — and what this means for business and policy.