Antonio was a partner at a leading Spanish law firm for 11 years as director of the Brussels office, before moving to Madrid, where he headed the competition and regulated sectors practice. He later moved to the Madrid office of an international law firm.
Antonio has appeared before the European Court of Justice in over 40 cases. He has advanced the locus standi for private parties at European level in cases such as Codorníu or Jégo-Quéré. His experience before the European Court of Justice includes the appeal in several competition cases, in the chemical, steel, paper and construction material sectors, obtaining very significant reductions of fines imposed by the European Commission, and the appeal against a merger control decision.
Antonio has gained experience in both interim measures and in very complex cases. He has also appealed European Commission state aid decisions both for companies and public authorities. His interventions before the ECJ have been in Spanish, English, French, and in one instance in Italian. His cases in Courts also cover fisheries and civil service cases.
He acted for Asnef-Equifax in the preliminary ruling that held that EU competition law was to be applied to a decision of the Spanish competition authority based exclusively on Spanish competition law, as long as it did affect trade between member states. The Spanish Supreme Court following the ECJ ruling reversed the appeal judgment.
In the competition area at national level he has been involved in cases ranging from agreements to abuses of dominant position. He has gained an in-depth experience in complex merger cases and multi-jurisdictional filings.
His experience in cartel cases is very rich both at EU and national level with over 10 cases, some of them from the investigation to the last appeal, lasting in one instance for over 13 years, including the appeal, interim measures and final judgment.
He has pioneered, successfully, the private application of competition law in Spain by way of injunctions in abuse of dominant position cases. At present, he is also involved in complex litigation regarding both competition and consumer protection case at the court level as well as at the administrative one.
Regarding abuse of dominant position, he has dealt with complainants and defendants, therefore gaining a wealth of experience.
Antonio has published a number of books, chapters for books and articles dealing with competition and European law. He is also a lecturer in several postgraduate programs in Spain, and he speaks at a number of events in Spanish and in English.
Antonio is listed as a leading individual in competition EU law, since 1999 in Chambers Global, the World's Leading Lawyers; since 2001 in European Legal Experts (Legal Business); since 2001 in PLC Which lawyer?; since 2003 in the International Who's Who of Competition Lawyers, and in the Legal 500.
