Is It a Hearing If Nobody is Listening?

There are many criticisms of the oral hearing process. Indeed, there is a general growing tide of criticism of the manner in which competition law offenses in the European Union are investigated and prosecuted. It was partly in response to such concerns that on January 6, 2010 the European Commission published 3 papers setting out best practices in antitrust proceedings, best practices on submission of economic evidence, and a hearing officers’ guidance pape