Compliance in Cartels -- CWG webinar materials
Webinar Materials: Compliance in Cartel Cases
In April 2021, the Cartel Working Group organized a webinar on compliance and cartels. The materials from the call are available.
2021 ICN-WBG Competition Advocacy Contest
The 2021 ICN-WBG Competition Advocacy Contest is now open!
8 April 2021. The International Competition Network and the World Bank Group are pleased to announce the launch of the 2021 Competition Advocacy Contest. The Contest, now at its seventh joint edition, 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
The topic of this year’s Contest is “Building Forward Better: how competition advocacy can support countries with Covid19 crisis response, relief, and resilient recovery”. We are looking for success stories that demonstrate the tangible results of competition advocacy regarding:
Theme 1. Promoting an inclusive, sustainable, and green recovery while preserving contestability.
Theme 2. Leveraging the competitive impact of the digital economy for a faster and inclusive recovery.
Theme 3. Responding to the increased role of the State in markets and the government relief measures.
Theme 4. Revisiting antitrust rules and implementing initiatives in response to the Covid19 crisis.
The deadline for submissions is May 7th, 2021.
AEWG Webinar recording: Economist Perspectives on Market Studies
Webinar Materials: Market Studies, Economist Perspectives
In March 2021, the Agency Effectiveness Working Group organized a webinar on economist perspectives about market studies. The recording (with materials) of the call is available.
Hub and Spoke Cartels -- CWG webinar materials
Webinar Materials: Hub-and-Spoke Cartel Cases
In March 2021, the Cartel Working Group organized a webinar on hub and spoke cartels. The materials from the call are available.
ICN Virtual Spotlight - February 2
ICN Virtual SpotlightLeading your Agency through Change
Andrea Coscelli, Chief Executive Competition and Markets Authority
Andreas Mundt, President Bundeskartellamt and ICN Chair
45 minutes, 1:1
Brexit, digitalization, the new law in Germany are just examples. A changing environment challenges competition agencies around the world. Listen to Andrea Coscelli and Andreas Mundt when they discussed how to lead an agency through change. #ICN Spotlight
Tuesday, 2 February 2021
Advocacy Working Group Seminar -- January 28
The Advocacy Working Group
Presents a Webinar on:
Competition Advocacy to Support Robust Competition in a Post-pandemic World
Thursday, January 28, 2021
14.00 to 15.30 CET (Paris, Oslo)
The Covid-19 crisis brought about many challenges related to competition enforcement and advocacy. As the crisis developed, many competition enforcers around the globe sent clear messages that competition law would be strictly enforced and in some cases raised concerns about cooperation among businesses. At the same time, the enforcers targeted information on their websites, allocated resources to meet the demand for guidance and were involved to provide advice on government’s relief measure to businesses, which overnight lost the basis for its activity.
Now, as the Covid-19 pandemic enters a new phase with vaccines being rolled out, new advocacy challenges will materialize. The goal of advocacy strategies in this phase can on the one hand be damage control: to minimize damages caused to competition due to a significant drop in supply and demand, changes in market structure, and competition culture. However, the strategic goal can also be more ambitious: to promote the role of competition and a post-crisis pro-competitive regulatory framework to boost economic recovery, enabling economies to emerge stronger from the crisis.
This AWG webinar will discuss the challenges and the role of competition advocacy in the economic recovery after the crisis.
Moderator
- Kjell J. Sunnevåg, Norwegian Competition Authority
Introduction
- Bill Kovacic, Professor, George Mason University School of Law, USA
- Ruben Maximiano, Senior Competition Expert, OECD
Country perspectives
- Naoko Teranishi, Head of Office of Policy Planning and Research for Digital Markets, JFTC
- Adano Wario, Director Planning Policy and Quality Assurance, Competition Authority of Kenya
- Lars Sørgard, Director general, Norwegian Competition Authority
- Alfonso Camba, Deputy Head of Market Studies Unit at the Advocacy Department, CNMC, Spain
- David Lamb, Head of the Planning, Liaison and International Affairs and Rodrigo Rios, Executive Director of Regulatory Analysis and Collaboration with the Public Sector, COFECE, Mexico
For more information about the call, please contact the AWG co-chairs:
- Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio of Colombia
- Hong Kong Competition Commission
- Norwegian Competition Authority
OECD/ICN Report on International Cooperation in Competition Enforcement
OECD/ICN Report on International Co-operation in Competition Enforcement
21 January 2021 – The ICN and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have published their first Joint Report on International Enforcement Co-operation (Report).
Improving effective enforcement co-operation between competition authorities has been a priority for the ICN and OECD for many years. Both organisations have engaged in initiatives to build international competition enforcement co-operation and developed a substantial body of resources and policy guidance designed to improve both formal and informal enforcement co-operation.
Key findings of the Report
The Report outlines key aspects of the current state of international enforcement co-operation between competition authorities. The key findings regarding the past and current status of international enforcement co-operation are:
- There has been an overall increase in international enforcement co‑operation across all enforcement areas;
- Authorities use various legal bases for enforcement co-operation, although there are some long-standing legal barriers to effective international enforcement co‑operation;
- Authorities derive significant benefits from international enforcement co-operation, regardless of their respective size and level of maturity;
- Enforcement co-operation within regions (including through specific regional arrangements) is one of the most significant and successful types of co-operation for authorities, including for those outside highly developed and mature regional enforcement co-operation arrangements; and
- Key challenges and limitations to effective enforcement co-operation remain (e.g. legal limitations, resourcing, co-ordination/timing, trust/reciprocity and other practical issues such as language and time differences) and while some are an inherent and ongoing part of engaging in international enforcement co-operation (such as managing limited resources).
The findings are enriched by case studies of successful cooperation, examples of cooperation agreements and provisions, ICN and OECD resources and tools for cooperation, as well as an overview of several regional cooperation networks.
The Report follows a first survey on international enforcement co-operation by the ICN and OECD in 2012, which resulted in two separate reports, one from the ICN and one from the OECD.
Proposed future areas of focus and development
The Report also proposes future areas of focus and development for consideration by competition authorities, the ICN, the OECD and other interested parties to address the challenges identified. These include:
- Developing further enforcement co-operation work-products and networks;
- Improving transparency and trust;
- Providing policy and practical support for further developing effective regional enforcement co-operation; and
- Removing substantive and legal barriers to co-operation.
Your feedback and suggestions
Following the approval of the Report, the ICN Steering Group has created a special project group to consider and co-ordinate issues relating to international enforcement co-operation with ICN working groups. This special project group includes the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the Hungarian Competition Authority, the Italian Competition Authority, the Portuguese Competition Authority and the US Federal Trade Commission.
If you have questions, comments or would like to engage in the ICN’s work on international co-operation and competition, please contact: [email protected], [email protected].
Cartel Working Group Seminar -- January 20
The ICN Cartel Working Group Presents a Webinar on
‘‘How to detect and assess bidding cartels II.’
Agency only webinar!
Wednesday, 20 January 2021
8.00 (EST) / 13.00 (GMT) / 14.00 (CET)
The webinar intends to share jurisdiction’s experience on bidding cartels by focusing on detection methods that are successfully applied by competition authorities. Moreover, by mapping specific features of tender markets and tender design (via case studies) the webinar will also deal with the challenges of the assessment.
Moderator:
Mr Antonio CAPOBIANCO
Acting Head of Competition Division, OECD
Speakers:
Ms Natalie HARSDORF
Acting Managing Director, Austrian Federal Competition Authority, BWB
Mr Ismael BELTRÁN
Leader of the Public Procurement Collusion Task Force of Superintendency of Industry and Commerce, SIC
Mr Rory FIELD
Senior adviser on criminal cartels, Competition and Markets Authority, CMA
Mr Haim ARBIV
Head of Investigations and Intelligence Department, Israeli Competition Authority, ICA
Ms Oana NEG
Deputy Project Manager – Big Data Project, Competition Inspector, Competition Council of Romania
Interested agencies can contact the Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) – CWG SG1 Co-chair – and ask for the dial-in details.
2020 ICN Work Product
Now presenting the ICN’s 2019-2020 work. ICN work product is finalized and posted within Working Group portfolio webpages following membership approval.
Cartel Seminar
The ICN Cartel Working Group Presents a Webinar on
‘Leniency perspectives from the private bar’
Wednesday, 11 November 2020
8.00 (EST) / 13.00 (GMT) / 14.00 (CET)
The webinar intends to provide a new angle to the previous work on leniency by giving an insight from NGA perspectives into the factors that are taken into consideration when deciding to submit a leniency/immunity application; why a client might decide against it and also what factors go into the decision to grant or not grant waivers to jurisdictions to exchange information with one another.
Moderator:
Mr Zoltán MAROSI
Attorney at Law / Partner, Oppenheim Law Firm, Hungary
Speakers:
Mr Mateo DIEGO-FERNÁNDEZ
Partner AGON, Mexico
Mr Raimundo ORTEGA
Partner, Antitrust & Competition Law, Energy, Jones Day, Spain
Mr Manuel CONTRERAS
Senior Associate specialized in competition law Herbert Smith Freehills, Spain
Mr Christof SWAAK
Head of the competition and regulation practice of Stibbe in New York and Amsterdam, EU
Mr Eric MEIRING
Partner, Antitrust, Winston & Strawn LLP, US
Interested agencies and NGAs can contact the CWG SG1 Co-chairs and ask for the dial-in details.