ICN Steering Group Statement: The Role of Competition & Competition Policy in Times of Economic Crisis

ICN Steering Group Statement: The Role of Competition & Competition Policy in Times of Economic Crisis

The International Competition Network (ICN) Steering Group issued a statement addressing the role of competition and competition policy in the contemporary crises which are disrupting economies around the world.

The ICN Steering Group statement reaffirms the relevance of competition. It recognizes that in times of crises, competition can become less of a priority for governments, and highlights why competition, competition policy, and competition enforcement should be part of any solution. It urges governments to support and maintain competition as they respond to the economic crises and encourages competition agencies to actively enforce competition laws which are considered flexible enough to take into account market realities even under extraordinary circumstances.

The ICN also held a “Competition, Growth and Recovery Workshop” on 25 October 2022 hosted by ICN Vice Chair Margarida Matos Rosa, President of the Portuguese AdC.

English - LINK TO STATEMENTPortuguês - LINK TO STATEMENT IN PORTUGUESEEspañol - LINK TO STATEMENT IN SPANISHFrançais - LINK TO STATEMENT IN FRENCH

Link to Video of October 25 ICN Workshop Competition, Growth, & Recovery

ICN Workshop Competition, Growth, & Recovery

The ICN Vice-Chair for Growth and Recovery, Margarida Matos Rosa, organized the “Competition, Growth and Recovery” Workshop on 25 October.

The workshop addressed the role of competition as we face the challenge of economic recovery in times of inflation. Experts discussed how competition principles can assist policy makers in fostering growth and competitiveness, aiding economic recovery, and supporting broader policy objectives.

The agenda is available here and you can find the key conclusions of the workshop here.

Link to Workshop Recording

Steering Group confirms Lina Khan, US FTC, as new ICN Vice Chair

ICN Steering Group confirms Lina Khan, US FTC, as new ICN Vice Chair

On 30 November 2022 the ICN Steering Group confirmed Lina Khan, Chair of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as an ICN Vice Chair. As Vice Chair, Lina will focus her work on digital economy issues, building on the ICN’s successful work this area.

The ICN’s other Vice Chair is Margarida Matos Rosa, President of the Portuguese Competition Authority (AdC).

The ICN thanks Tembinkosi Bonakele for his leadership as Vice Chair until his term as Commissioner of the South African Competition Commission came to an end earlier this year.


2022 ICN Virtual Itinerary


The ICN’s Virtual Itinerary keeps you up-to-date with the schedule of upcoming ICN events, including seminars, workshops, and the annual conference. This list is updated monthly, and other additions and changes are made when available, so check back often for confirmation.



Replay! October 11 Merger Working Group seminar on data

Now available: The Merger Working Group’s October 11 seminar on Control of Data, Market Power and Potential Competition in Merger Reviews

Enjoy viewing and re-viewing this video via the link below.


2022 ICN Kickoff call on new work -- 6 JULY

Join us for a “Kickoff Call” for the new ICN Year

 

Hear from the ICN Working Groups on New Work Product and How to Get Involved in this Year’s Projects

 Wednesday, July 6, 2022

08:00– 09:00 (Ottawa) / 14:00-15:00 (Bonn)

 

Join us for this kickoff call of the new ICN year.  Co-chairs from each ICN working group – Advocacy, Agency Effectiveness, Cartels, Mergers, and Unilateral Conduct – will present new work product,  work plans for 2022/2023, and opportunities to participate in this year’s projects.

We look forward to speaking with you on Wednesday, July 6.

Link to call

2022 ICN-WBG Competition Advocacy Contest Award Ceremony

Competition Advocacy Contest 2022: Watch the Award Ceremony!

The International Competition Network (ICN) and the World Bank Group were pleased to announce the winners and honorable mentions of the 2022 Competition Advocacy Contest on May 5th during the ICN Annual Conference held in Berlin, Germany.

This contest aims to highlight the key role competition agencies, sector regulators and other governmental bodies or non-governmental organizations play in promoting competition by showcasing their advocacy success stories.

For more information about the awards and their stories, click below.

Highlights from the contest and ceremony

2022 ICN Conference Press Release

6 May, Berlin

On May 6, the 21st annual conference of the International Competition Network concluded in Berlin, hosted by the German Bundeskartellamt. Over 350 participants from more than 80 jurisdictions participated in the three day event for competition agencies and ICN non-governmental advisors including competition academics, practitioners, and other international organizations. The ICN is a virtual network of competition agencies dedicated to promoting cooperation and understanding for effective competition law enforcement through experience sharing, policy discussions, and written work product based on agency practices and perspectives. ICN members collaborate year round in working groups on vital topics of relevance to competition agencies.

In 2022, the focus of ICN ongoing work and conference discussions covers vigorous enforcement in digital markets, agency operations during the pandemic and recovery, and fundamentals of effective enforcement in markets across member economies. The conference held panels and breakout discussions on addressing killer acquisitions, regulatory and competition law tools in digital markets, and economic tools to evaluate large volumes of data. More discussions evaluated the standard of proof for competition law cases, anti-cartel enforcement trends, cross-border agency cooperation, the intersection of competition, consumer protection, and data privacy, markets affected by the pandemic, sustainability and competition, gender-inclusive competition policy, leniency, and effective competition remedies.


Conference videosConference webpage


Seminar: Role of Digital Experts

Webinar recording: Shaping agency digital transformation: the role of digital experts

In March, the AEWG co-chairs organized a webinar discussion on how agencies are acquiring and integrating digital expertise in order to achieve effective and efficient enforcement in the digital age. The webinar explored:

  • what digital skills and competencies are valuable in digital transformation and how agencies are acquiring them
  • how to bridge analogue and digital expertise
  • the role of non-traditional digital experts (e.g., digital transformation/enforcement officers, data scientists/engineers/analysts, IT forensic experts or other similar roles) in agencies’ digitalisation efforts
  • the digital experts’ perspective (e.g., what a typical work day for a digital expert looks like, innovative tools/approaches they employ in their work, as well as challenges/obstacles they encounter in their role)

Link to the webinar recording below.

Link to Seminar video