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 Spotlight

Leading 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

Link to recorded event


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


OECD/ICN Report on International Cooperation in Competition Enforcement

Link to the OECD/ICN Report on International Co-operation 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. 


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. 

ICN's leniency related work


ICN Training Overview

Join us for another session of ICN’s 2020 Fall Seminar Series!


Tuesday, November 10, 2020
08:00 EST / 14:00 CET

THE WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY & HOW OF
ICN’s Training on Demand

 

The world’s top competition experts are just a click away! The ICN’s ever-expanding collection of online video training modules is available to you anywhere, anytime.

Please join us for this Fall Webinar showcasing the ICN Training on Demand project. During the webinar, we will describe the origins of the ICN Training on Demand project, show you where to access videos, hear about how to make use of the video library, and tell you how you can get involved in the development and production of future training modules.

Interested agencies and NGAs can ask for the dial-in details

ICN's Training on Demand modulesICN's YouTube Channel videos


MWG: Sound Decision Making

Join us for another session of ICN’s 2020 Fall Seminar Series!

The ICN Merger Working Group
Presents a Fall Webinar on
Sound Decision Making
Tuesday, November 3, 2020
8.00 (EST) / 13.00 (GMT) / 14.00 (CET)

This webinar shall discuss topics addressed during the Merger Working Group’s regional webinars on sound decision making in merger assessment, such as evidence-based decision making, transparency, independence, and anti-bribery.

Moderator
Joel Bamford
Senior Director, Mergers
Competition and Markets Authority, UK

Speakers
Patricia Brink
Director of Professional Development
Antitrust Division, USA

Kaoru Harada
Senior Officer, M&A Division
Fair Trade Commission, Japan

Cristiane Landerdahl de Albuquerque
Head of Merger & Antitrust Unit for Regulated Markets
CADE, Brazil

Raphael Mburu
Manager, Mergers and Acquisitions
Competition Authority, Kenya

 

Interested agencies and NGAs can contact the MWG Co-chairs and ask for the dial-in details.