Introductions and presentations of speakers
Petr Mlsna
Chairman; Czech NCA
Petr Mlsna has been the Chairman of the Office for the Protection of Competition since 2 December 2020. During his professional career he has held a number of positions at the Government of the Czech Republic and the Government Legislative Council. At the turn of the years 2012 and 2013, he was Minister without Portfolio and Chairman of the Government Legislative Council. Subsequently, he served as Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. From 2015 until his appointment as the Chairman of the Office for the Protection of Competition, he was Deputy Minister at the Ministry of the Interior in charge of the Legislation, Public Administration and Local and Regional Authorities Section.
Petr Solský
Vice-chairman; Czech NCA
Petr Solský graduated from the Faculty of Law of the Masaryk University in Brno in 1998. At the same Faculty he received JUDr. degree in the field of criminal law. He worked in public administration on a number of managing positions, for example at the Ministry of the Interior or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 2003 to 2010 he gained extensive experience at the Permanent Representation of the Czech Republic to the EU in Brussels where he was responsible for management of the division of justice and interior including the coordination of preparations of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU. Back in the Czech Republic he worked in private sector in a law firm. Consequently he focused in particular on the area of information and communication technology, among others as a Deputy Minister of the Interior for this area in the years 2013 and 2014. Petr Solský has been focusing on a number of issues of criminal and administrative law including the regulatory framework for public procurement and prohibited state aid. He is a long term member of the Regulatory Impact Assessment Commission of the Government Legislative Council (RIA Commission). On 5th April 2016 Petr Solský was appointed to the position of the Vice-chairman of the Office for the Protection of Competition and entrusted with the management of the Legislative and Public Regulation Division.
Petra Němečková
executive Vice-President T. Ribera’s Cabinet, European Commission
Since December 2024, Petra Němečková is the Member of the Cabinet of the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of Clean, Clean, Just and Competitive Transition and Commissioner for Competition at the European Commission, Teresa Ribera. Her responsibilitites include primarily State aid, health, housing policies as well as coordination of infringements, transparency and legal matters in the Cabinet.
Before joining the Cabinet, Petra Nemeckova was a Member of the Legal Service of the European Commission since 2011. As part of her work at the Legal Service, she represented the Commission and the Union in numerous cases brought before the European Union courts, courts of third countries or arbitral tribunals, in particular in the fields of State aid, financial services, bank resolution, investor-State arbitration and intellectual property rights.
Graduated in Law (Ph.D) and Economics and with LL.M in European Legal Studies, Petra is a qualified lawyer in the Czech Republic and in Spain. Before joining the Commission, she gained professional experience in practising European and competition law at international law firms.
Tihamér Tóth
Judge, General Court of the EU
Tihamér Tóth studied law at the Szegedi Tudományegyetem (University of Szeged, Hungary), where he obtained a degree in law in 1994. It was at that same university that he pursued doctoral studies and defended his thesis in law in 2001. In 1994, he began his professional career in Hungary as a legal officer at the European Affairs Office, hosted in turn by the Ministry for International Economic Relations, the Ministry for Industry and Trade and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Between 1997 and 2001, he held the position of case handler at the International Office of the Hungarian Competition Authority. From 2001 to 2003, he was a member and then, from 2003 to 2009, President of the Competition Council (Hungary). During that latter period, he also served as Vice-President of the Hungarian Competition Authority. From 2009 to 2022, he practised as a lawyer in Hungary, particularly in the area of competition law. From 1999, Mr Tóth also dedicated himself to an academic career at the Pázmány Péter Katolikus Egyetem (Pázmány-Péter Catholic University, Hungary). He was a lecturer there between 1999 and 2010 and then became Vice-Dean, responsible, from 2010 to 2013, for research and international relations, from 2013 to 2014, for student affairs and, since 2015, for international relations. Mr Tóth was appointed as a professor at that university in 2018, where he held the Jean Monnet Chair in Competition Law between 2019 and 2022. He is the author of numerous works and publications on competition law. Mr Tóth was appointed as a Judge at the General Court on 6 July 2022.
Caroline Buts
Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences and Solvay Business School, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Caroline Buts is Full Professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Solvay Business School of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), where she teaches European Integration and Competition Policy. She obtained her PhD in 2012 on the economics of State aid, which - alongside defence and peace economics - remains a central pillar of her research. Caroline is a founding member and current Chair of the Brussels Centre for Competition Policy, where she leads and supervises multiple PhD researchers and research projects spanning both fundamental and applied work. Since 2014, she has been Managing Editor of the European State Aid Law Quarterly and sits on the editorial boards of several international peer-reviewed journals, including Defence and Peace Economics and Defence and Security Analysis. She is also Academic Director of the European State Aid Law Institute and advises public and private partners on State aid, and regularly serves on expert committees, including Belgium’s Price Observatory. Her work has been recognised through several academic distinctions, including Lexxion’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025 - one of only two such prizes awarded by the publisher over the past 25 years - and a Concurrences Antitrust Writing Award in 2026.
Seppe Maes
Senior researcher, Faculty of Social Sciences and Solvay Business School, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Seppe Maes is a researcher and teaching assistant at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Solvay Business School of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), where he is affiliated with the Brussels Centre for Competition Policy. His work focuses on EU State aid, competition policy, market distortions and the economic effects of public intervention. He obtained his PhD in Economics in 2026 on market distortions in State aid and competition policy. Alongside his academic research, Seppe contributes to applied policy and evaluation work on State aid, including projects supporting public authorities, legal practitioners, and national judges in the interpretation and application of State aid rules, and the development of competition policies.
Petr Binhack
Director, Department of Energy Strategy and International Cooperation, Ministry of Industry and Trade
Petr Binhack, Ph.D. has more than 15 years of experience in energy policy, with a focus on the EU, energy markets, and energy security. He serves as Director of the Energy Strategy and International Cooperation Department and also as Deputy Director-General of the Energy Section at the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic. He is involved in the development of energy strategies and the negotiation of European energy legislation, and represents the Czech Republic on the Governing Board of the International Energy Agency. During the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU, he chaired the Working Party on Energy, led negotiations on crisis legislation, and conducted negotiations with the European Parliament on the Renewable Energy Directive. Previously, he worked in the energy markets unit of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Energy, where, among other responsibilities, worked on the implementation of capacity mechanisms in cooperation with the Directorate-General for Competition. Before that, he served as Energy Attaché at the Permanent Representation of the Czech Republic to the EU and at the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic, where he coordinated European climate and energy policy.
Bohuslav Čížek
Director for Legislation, Deputy Executive Director, Association for the Energy Sector of the Czech Republic
Bohuslav Čížek has served as Deputy Executive Director and Director of Legislation at the Czech Energy Association since September 2025. Prior to that, he worked at the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic, first as a Manager for Taxes, Economics, Finance, and Investments, and since 2016 as Chief Economist, Director of the Economic Policy Section, and Deputy Director General. He has also held positions in strategy and finance, served, for example, on the Committee for Budget Forecasts, and contributed to a range of measures for businesses. In his current role, he continues to contribute to creating better conditions for a successful energy transition and an improved overall business and investment environment. He is a member of numerous expert working groups and councils in the fields of energy, business, investment support instruments and related areas. He studied economics and economic policy at the University of Economics in Prague and holds an MBA in strategic financial management and a Ph.D. in economics and management.
Lucie Reitingerová
Director for Tourism, Confederation of Commerce and Tourism of the Czech Republic
Lucie Reitingerová, serves as Director of Tourism at the of Trade and Tourism of the Czech Republic, where she focuses on the current agenda of the entire sector as well as the preparation of legislative, strategic, and conceptual materials related to tourism development and their communication to the state
administration, local governments, professional organizations, and political representatives. In her current role, she draws on her many years of experience in project and program management across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. From 2011 to 2017, she was responsible for the development and coordination of the Bakala family’s philanthropic activities. Prior to that, she worked at the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic as secretary to the government coordinator for communications regarding the missile defense program. She subsequently held the positions of secretary and advisor to the Minister of Health and also served in the office of the Minister of Defense. She also gained professional experience in event management, where she participated in the preparation of high-profile social and professional events at Via Perfecta. She also collaborated on the organization of commemorative events marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Iron Curtain, carried out by Opona, o. p. s. She is a graduate of the Department of Demography at the Faculty of Science and the Department of Economics at the Faculty of Social Sciences at Charles University. She further expanded her studies in economics at Aarhus University in Denmark.
Silvia Doušová
Director, Tourism Department, Ministry of Regional Development
Silvia Doušová has served as Director of the Tourism Department at the Ministry of Regional Development since 2023, where she is responsible for the development and implementation of tourism policy, related legislation, and the coordination of the CzechTourism agency. She also represents the Czech Republic in international organisations such as the OECD, the European Commission, and UN Tourism. She holds a degree in Tourism Management from the University of Hradec Králové and is also a graduate in English Language Teaching from the University of Pardubice. She has further developed her expertise in project management, European cooperation, and public administration, including studies at the College of Europe and the European Institute of Public Administration. A significant part of her professional career has been devoted to regional policy. As Deputy Mayor of Kutná Hora, she was responsible for regional development, tourism, spatial planning, social affairs, and international cooperation. In 2019, she co-founded the destination management organisation Kutnohorsko Kolínsko (DMO), where she served as the statutory representative until 2023. She has also been actively involved in international networks, including the Organization of World Heritage Cities. She has also gained extensive experience in public administration through her work at the Institute of Public Administration, where she focused on training and capacity building, including preparations for the first Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Libuše Bílá
Head of State Aid Department; Czech NCA
Libuše Bílá graduated from the Faculty of Law of the Masaryk University in Brno. She joined the Office for the Protection for Competition in 1995 as an officer at the Unit for International Cooperation. Since 2003 she has been working at the State Aid Unit, firstly as an officer and later, from 2012 to 2014, as a deputy director of the Unit. Since March 2014 she has been the Head of State Aid Unit. She has been dealing with State aid issues for 23 years and specializing in the field of regional aid, SME aid and aid provided for research, development and innovations. In the course of her work, she has participated in notifications of a number of measures to European Commission and preparations of new regulations in the field of State aid. Also, she is a member of Working Groups on State Aid Issues covering both national as well as European level.
Michael Kincl
Supreme Court of the Czech Republic
Michael Kincl graduated from the Faculty of Law of the Masaryk University in Brno. Currently he works as an judge assistant at Supreme Court of the Czech Republic. He has been intensively focused on the area of State aid since 2000. In the past, he worked as a deputy director of State Aid Unit of the Office for the Protection of Competition. Mr. Kincl is an author of numerous articles and several monographs focused on the State aid. He regularly lectures and cooperates on methodological issues with various public authorities and other bodies. He is the holder of a medal for contributions in the field of competition and public procurement, which was awarded to him on June 13, 2024 by the Chairman of the Office for the Protection of Competition, doc. JUDr. PhDr. Petr Mlsna, Ph.D.
Štěpán Ripka
Task Force Housing, European Commission
Štěpán Ripka is an expert on the policy of affordable and social housing. He is currently seconded as a national expert (SNE) to the European Commission's Working Group on Housing (DG ENER), where he has been involved in the preparation of the European Affordable Housing Plan and leads the public housing support agenda, including the revision of the SGEI Decision. Prior to that, he headed the Department of Housing Policy Analysis and Strategy at the Ministry of Regional Development of the Czech Republic, where he managed the notification of two national housing support programmes to the European Commission and participated in the preparation of the available housing components of the National Recovery Plan. He worked as an advisor to the councillor for housing at the Prague City Hall. He is a co-founder and member of the Platform for Social Housing, which in 2026 won the prestigious World Habitat Gold Award for the reform of the housing system. He is behind the introduction of the Housing First concept in the Czech Republic and led a randomized controlled trial in this area. He holds a doctorate in social anthropology and sociology (Charles University/Universität Bayreuth).
Gabriela Kinclová
State Aid Department; Czech NCA
Gabriela Kinclová graduated from the Faculty of Economics and Administration of the Masaryk University in Brno. She has been working for the Office for the Protection of Competition at the State Aid Unit since 2000. The Unit is in particular responsible for assisting State aid providers with the proper application of the current State aid rules and also its agenda is related to State aid proceedings conducted by the European Commission. She is involved in educating State aid providers through lectures which are presented at different levels of public administration and local government. She focuses on the State aid provided in the field of culture, transport and services of general economic interest.
Eva Slaměnová
State Aid Department; Czech NCA
Eva Slaměnová graduated from the Faculty of Law of the Masaryk University. At the same Faculty she received JUDr. degree in the field of European Union law. After the graduation she started to work in advocacy. In the year 2008 she joined the State Aid Unit of the Office for the Protection of Competition. She has been focusing on questions related to the transparency, disposal with public properties, audiovisual works and broadcasting. She took part in notification procedures of some State aid measures to European Commission, she was a member of working groups on State aid issues on both national and European level and she also participated in preparations of new legislation in the field of State aid.
Karolína Primasová
Head of Department, Audit Authority, Ministry of Finance
Karolína Primasová graduated from the Faculty of Law of Charles University in Prague. After completing her studies, she worked in private legal practice, where she gained valuable professional experience primarily in civil, commercial, and labour law, with a particular focus on insolvency law and real estate law. She has been working in the field of EU funds, control mechanisms in public administration, and public procurement since 2020, when she joined the Audit Authority of the Ministry of Finance. Since 2025, she has held the position of Head of the Methodological and Legal Support within the Audit Authority, with responsibility for auditing Technical Assistance Operational Programme, and Home Affairs funds. In this role, she leads a multidisciplinary team of experienced lawyers, methodologists, project managers, and auditors. Together they contribute to systemic process improvements, strengthen the effectiveness of control mechanisms, and build a robust legal and methodological framework within the Audit Authority. In her audit work, she has a long-term focus on public procurement and state aid – key areas in the audit and assessment of EU funds.
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