Simone Ritzek-Seidl

Deputy Head of Unit, Directorate Foreign Subsidies at European Commission

Speaker

Simone Ritzek-Seidl joined DG Competition’s Task force foreign subsidies in 2020. She was part of the team that drew up the White paper on distortive foreign subsidies as well as the Commission proposal, and followed through until adoption of the Regulation by the European Parliament and the Council. She had a leading role in the Task force, and is since March 2024 Deputy Head of Unit in the DG COMP Directorate dealing with foreign subsidies. Prior to the Task force, she worked as an international relations officer in the international unit of DG Competition, where she prepared and negotiated State aid and competition provisions in international agreements between the European Union and its partner countries. She has also gained a couple of years experience in the area of State aid when working in DG Competition’s State aid network, first as a case handler, then providing case support. Before joining the Commission, she worked for international law firms in Brussels and Hamburg.

Simone Ritzek-Seidl holds a PhD degree in law from the university of Vienna, where she worked as a researcher after her graduation in law.