BACKGROUNDER

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION NETWORK (ICN) FIRST ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Senior officials representing 61 antitrust agencies are expected to attend the ICN's first annual conference on September 28 and 29, 2002, in Naples, Italy. The Naples Conference will address merger review in an multi-jurisdictional context as well as the role of competition advocacy.

The ICN was launched in October 2001, to provide antitrust agencies from developed and developing countries with a broader network to address practical competition enforcement and policy issues.

Initially, membership was comprised of agencies from: Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, South Africa, the United Kingdom, United States and Zambia. Today, 72 antitrust authorities are members of the ICN.

Membership is open to national and multinational competition agencies responsible for the enforcement of antitrust laws. The ICN is a project-oriented and consensus based organization. Representatives from the private sector, academia and other international organizations work with ICN members to produce best practice proposals to bring about soft convergence in enforcement approaches between the different authorities.

By enhancing convergence and cooperation, the ICN aims to promote more efficient, effective antitrust enforcement worldwide. Both consumers and businesses will benefit from greater consistency in enforcement policy which will reduce unnecessary or duplicative procedures.