The big cartel damages spectacle in Munich for the Trucks case is over, the last mergers have been announced, the Studienvereinigung is calling everyone to Bonn, and students are thinking: now it’s not really worth starting to learn before the Christmas break. Yes, it’s that time of year again – with the smell of gingerbread and annoying jingles on all channels. The only thing missing is, of course, the D’Kart Antitrust Advent Calendar 2025. Following an age-old tradition, we will open a new door here every day until 24 December 2025 – and behind it this year are a lot of happy faces. Because: It’s Disszember!

This year, we are dedicating the D’Kart Antitrust Advent calendar to young academics in competition law – those young men and women who take it upon themselves to research new insights into competition law and write them down. We are taking the books off the shelf and showcasing these often overlooked gems here in our calendar: every day, we will be presenting a doctoral thesis and its author! What interests young people who are studying competition law today? What have they discovered? Disszember is a month in which we can learn something from the next generation. And, of course, we highly recommend adding all of the doctoral theses presented here to your Christmas wish list.

And in between, we also asked some prominent people from the competition law community what they actually did their doctorates on…

We hope you enjoy the D’Kart Antitrust Advent Calendar 2025 and thank you for your support for science this year and for your affection for this blog!

All the best for the final sprint to the holidays and a happy New Year:

The team at the D’Kart blog from the Institute for Competition Law at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf!

Anna Kronenberg and Leon Wardelmann from Professor Podszun’s team coordinated this edition. They put their doctoral theses on hold for a few days to do so. Thank you both!

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