Speeches are a common and effective outreach tool for the business community. They are often delivered by senior officials in competition agencies at conferences and meetings with big business and small and medium enterprises.
European Union
The Commissioner of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition gives several keynote speeches to business representatives at international conferences and other occasions each year. These speeches explain the current focus of enforcement activities and policy work.
Ireland
The Irish Competition Authority places a lot of emphasis on developing and delivering key messages through speeches to the business community. The authority’s business outreach program focuses primarily on key opinion formers and decision makers, who can then promote the benefits
of competition to the national economy, businesses and consumers.
Recognizing the importance of plain language and the develop of key messages that resonate with a business audience, the authority has grouped messages into a number of broad themes that are used when speaking to business audiences:
- Competition is good: e.g. Competition is good for business: because efficiency, new entry and strong rivalry improve industry level productivity, drive down costs, and enhance competitiveness.
- Business should comply with the Competition Act: e.g. The Competition Act 2002 places the responsibility on businesses to ensure they are not breaking the law by restricting competition.
- Government needs to do more: e.g. Significant barriers to competition originate from inappropriate restrictions on business from Government Departments.
- The Competition Authority is an active and effective organisation: e.g. The Competition Authority seeks to ensure the best possible deal for the consumer
Examples:
Competition and a Competitive Economy, Newry-Dundalk Cross Border Conference, Carlingford, 4th May, 2005
The Return of the Celts: Spreading the Competition Message from Island to Island, Presentation to the Federation of Trade, Iceland, 4th Feb, 2005
Competitiveness - Setting the Scene, Chambers of Commerce of Ireland National Business Forum, Portlaoise, May 21, 2004
Promoting Competition in the Marketplace, Presentation to the Marketing Institute, Sligo, 26th February, 2002
United Kingdom
The Chairman of the United Kingdom Office of Fair Trading and senior officials give Speeches and Articles on a wide variety of topics related to the work of the OFT, including on competition compliance and the benefits of competition.
Examples:
What to expect from an OFT investigation - This paper is based on a speech given at the Butterworth's competition law conference in July 2005. It discusses how parties under investigation, as well as complainants, can expect to engage with an OFT Competition Act investigation.
European competition and consumer day conference - In September 2005 Sir John Vickers, the then Chairman of OFT, spoke at the European competition and consumer day conference in London.
United States
The United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division uses a presentation to the business and legal communities on the common characteristics of international cartels using audio and video tapes of actual meetings involving members of the lysine cartel.
Caught in the Act: Inside an International Cartel
Presentation by DAAG Scott Hammond, with video clips and transcript excerpts.