Profile

Christopher Jones is a Principal for Energy, regulatory and Antitrust in the European Competition Law Practice Group in the Brussels office. He joined Baker McKenzie in 2018.

Christopher's career has spanned more than 30 years at the European Commission.

He was previously Deputy Head of Cabinet for the Energy Commissioner and spent 18 years designing and implementing Europe's energy policy.

Christopher has significant experience in competition policy, having spent 11 years in the field including responsibility for antitrust and mergers in the Cabinet of the Energy Commissioner, and as personal Policy Assistant to two Directors' General. He is also a leading academic in the competition and energy areas, editing and co-authoring the standard text books on Competition Law and Energy Markets, the Internal Energy Market, and EU Renewable Law and Policy, as well as books on merger control and the standard competition law reference work, the EU Competition Law Handbook.

Practice Focus

During more than 30 years in the European Commission, Christopher Jones has been at the forefront of many major key energy and competition law decisions and innovations. He played a key role in the evolution of EU competition law towards the more economic and market based instrument it is today, and was instrumental in the successful implementation of EU merger control. He was the central EU official in opening up energy markets to competition as well as developing and implementing the core of the EU's energy policy as it is today; driving the '20-20-20' renewables and energy efficiency decarbonisation agendas, and setting the gas strategy and research policies.

At Baker McKenzie, Christopher works closely with the Energy, Mining & Infrastructure, Projects and Competition teams in the EMEA region.

Education

• College of Europe, Bruges (Diploma of Higher European Studies (Law)) (1984)
• University of Reading (Law Degree) (1983)