Manuel Contreras

Partner

Manuel is a partner in the EU and competition law practice.

He advises on all aspects of competition law. Manuel represents clients on corporate transactions, in the context of public investigations and civil litigation in a variety of industries such as the infrastructure sector, daily consumption, basic industries or the digital sector.

His expertise in the professional practice of EU and competition law has been recognized by legal directories such as Chambers and Partners and Best Lawyers. He has been selected since 2020 as non-governmental advisor to the Spanish competition authority before the International Competition Network.
Manuel is a member of the Madrid Bar Association (ICAM).

He holds a law degree from the Universidad San Pablo CEU with a selective specialization in EU law.

Manuel has published dozens of academic articles of its area of expertise. He has been a lecturer in Competition Law in the LLM in EU Law at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid since 2015. His working languages are, in addition to Spanish, English and French.

manuel.contreras@pzcr.legal

Selected credentials:

A company active in the basic industries sector in the context of a competition investigation launched by the European Commission in 2011 at the request of a third party for price signaling practices. The investigation was dropped due to the absence of anti-competitive evidence.
A company active in the manufacture of industrial products in the framework of a cartel investigation contrary to article 1 LDC carried out by the CNMC in 2015. This investigation was preliminarily resolved with a high fine which was subsequently quashed by the Spanish National Court.
Several companies of an infrastructure group in the framework of the investigation carried out by an regional competition authority which was resolved administratively as an infringement of article 1 LDC and a prohibition to participate in public tenders, which has been suspended as an interim measure by the High Court of Justice.
A company active in rail transport in the context of the merger of the rail and signaling businesses of Siemens and Alstom, which was prohibited by the European Commission.
An undertaking active in urban mobility in the merger consisting of the acquisition of its mobility vehicle supplier, which was unconditionally cleared by the Spanish competition authority.
Una sociedad cotizada en la disposición de su negocio de venta minorista de carburante en España a un competidor directo y que solo fue autorizada por la autoridad española de competencia a cambio de compromisos y condiciones de comportamiento tras una investigación en profundidad.