ESC Consulting is the the first and the only Turkish European law and consultancy firm in Turkey specialized mainly in competition and antidumping proceedings, intellectual property, telecoms and privatization issues. Founded in Istanbul in 1986, this boutique has built a reputation in the competition field with its ability and willingness in representing corporations and trade associations in all types of antitrust investigations. The partners are known in both Turkey and Europe for their grasp of business and familiarity with the technical and regulatory issues that confront their clients, as well as their imaginative response to clients' needs

ESC Consulting is widely recognized as Turkey’s leading competition consultancy firm with an enviable corporate client base. The firm comprises of   specialist in competition and regulatory matters. ESC Consulting has built up an acknowledged high reputation for its services concerning Turkish and EC antitrust and merger control areas.
The Competition Group which is headed by Professor Arif ESIN provides consultancy in antitrust and merger control issues which entail the filing of notifications to the Turkish Competition Authority and the European Commission, representing undertakings subject to administrative antitrust proceedings before the Turkish Authority and the Commission as well as advice on competition law aspects with regard to horizontal and vertical agreements, in particular agency, co-operation distribution, franchising and licensing agreements.

ESC Consulting has also a number of clients in regulated industries, particularly in the telecommunications and airline sectors. The Firm focuses in areas such as information technology, energy, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, GSM, airlines, financial services, sport, media, entertainment, computer software, cars, electrical equipment, chemicals and engineering. It also advises governments and public authorities on EU policies and regulations. The firm advised the Turkish Competition Authority during their establishment stage. 


The Firm’s major cases include the Turkish Cement Case (Article 81), Turkish Pharmaceuticals Case (Article 81), LPG Case and media cases concerning TV commercials marketing, sports broadcasting, newspaper distribution and price fixing. The firm is also representing  major companies in the still going GSM and automotive industry investigations.Before the Competition Authority. 

Other major cases comprise the Turkish part of the RWE AG/Thames Water Merger Operation, Qualiflyer project (the inclusion of Turkish Airlines in the Alliance headed by Swissair/Sabena/Austrian Airlines), the Borusan/ Mannessmann JV in steel pipes and tubes, the Media Alliance of German Burda Group/Turkish Dogan Group and acting for MIGROS AS in connection with its proposed merger with METRO AG, Turkish part of the Deutsche Post/DHL transaction and Allianz AG/Dresdner Bank AG share transfer. 

Members of the firm have represented clients before the Turkish Competition Authority in ALL competition administrative investigations since the Authority began operating in 1997. 

The Firm also offers advisory services in international trade disputes before the administrative badies, especially European and US anti-dumping and anti-subsidies cases and customs code issues, as well as research on all trade-related issues, especially the implications of WTO Regulations for firm strategies and sectors. ESC Consulting gives advice to firms or industries in anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations  in both local and foreign administrations.

 

BIOGRAPHY OF PROF. DR. ARÝF ESÝN

Born in 1956, Professor Arif ESIN is graduated from Saint-Benoit French College and completed his BA in law and political science at the University of Paris, from where he also received his MA and PhD degrees. Professor ESIN lectured at various European Universities.(Paris, Erasmus,Upssala) Currently, he is a professor at the University of Istanbul and regularly lectures on EU law and Turkish Competition Law. Professor ESIN advised the Turkish Competition Authority during their establishment stage. He also joined to Costums Union Negotiation in Brussels as the representer of private sector and he presented a TV programme, called “EU Network”, on Channel CNBC-e. In 1999, he won “Cengiz Polatkan Prise” as the best TV production. He worked at “Financial Forum” as newspaper columnist for 6 years and he has been still preparing a TV programme, called “EU Diary” on Sky Turk.

Professor ESIN is the founder and senior partner of ESC Consulting, the only European law and consultancy firm in Turkey specialized mainly in European and Turkish competition law, antidumping proceedings, intellectual property law, telecommunication law and privatization issues. Professor ESIN and his firm ESC Consulting have built a reputation in the competition law field with their ability and willingness in defending corporations and trade associations in all types of antitrust matters.

He has lectured on EC legal and policy topics to academic and private bodies in many countries, and has published extensively on these themes. Professor ESIN has written 26 books and is the author of more than 200 articles on European Union law and politics, which are published in international journals in English, French and Turkish. He also joined over a hundred of panels, conventions and workshops at The European Union Commision, TOBB, TÝM, IKV, ITO, ISO, TESK, ÝEÝS, TÝSK, TMMOB, DPT, HDTM, KOSGEB, Turkish and foreign universities, as a speaker.

He is the member of Turkish Eximbank’s Censor Board, TÝM’s legal counsel and he is also the adviser of Researching Pharmaceuticals Firms Association, and the owner of Consultancy Firm, specialized on competition law, moreover he is the President of the Competition Lawyers Association. Professor ESIN is married and has two daughters.