We are delighted to host another instalment in our series of public lectures, delivered by Kati Cseres, an Associate Professor of Law at the Amsterdam Centre for European Law and Governance (ACELG) and Head of the EU Law Section at the Department of International and European Law at the University of Amsterdam.

Kati's lecture will take place on January 29 at 5:15 pm in the Yudowitz Lecture Theatre, Wolfson Medical School Building, University Avenue, followed by a drinks reception.

Kati Cseres: Non-Majoritarian Regulators in Democratic Systems: The case of competition authorities

Competition authorities (CAs) form a specific type of non-majoritarian institution tasked with safeguarding competitive markets and fundamental economic freedoms by controlling excessive concentrations of economic power, which can undermine democratic processes. CAs play a vital role in aligning markets with democratic principles, and the enforcement of competition law is often cited as a safeguard of liberal democracy. However, being established as independent regulatory bodies insulated from electoral politics, capture, and short-termism, their mandate  is limited to assessing economic effects and safeguarding competition.

This talk examines how CAs, as independent decision-makers, can safeguard democratic institutions and the values of liberal democracy in a complex and contested economic and societal environment. It asks how CAs can counterbalance, constrain, and complement majoritarian decision-making in times of overlapping economic, geopolitical, and democratic crises, as they are increasingly expected to assume responsibilities beyond the narrow protection of competition.

As their mandate remains primarily economic, competition authorities cannot openly weigh political values without risking politicization, technocratic overreach, and erosion of democratic legitimacy. Preserving independent expertise must therefore be paired with stronger accountability and responsiveness to democratic demands. This talk proposes a constructive way through responsive enforcement, drawing on theories of responsive regulation, particularly tripartism, and social accountability, to strengthen institutional responsiveness, accountability, and democratic legitimacy.

Kati Cseres is an Associate Professor of Law at the Amsterdam Centre for European Law and Governance (ACELG) and Program Director of the EU Law Masters at the University of Amsterdam. She is the Co-Director of The Good Lobby Profs initiative, which monitors the respect of the rule of law by holding the EU and national institutions and leaders accountable. Kati is Editor of the Journal Legal Issues of Economic Integration.