Competitive markets

ICC organizes roundtable on competition law enforcement

  • 26 April 2010

A roundtable organized by ICC on competition law enforcement from the angle of due process will provide an opportunity for a dialogue between government competition agencies and private business.

The roundtable, which will take place in Istanbul on 30 April, will examine the areas in which common principles can be agreed upon and how far international best practices can be applied given the diversity of national regimes.

“ICC supports competition rules because effective competition is a vital source of economic growth,” Ferdinand Hermanns, Chair of the ICC Commission on Competition, said in a statement issued before the meeting. “To ensure confidence in competition systems and their implementation, competition agencies must conduct investigations in an objective manner.”

“Procedural rules should be foreseeable, clear, and transparent,” he added. “They should protect business secrets and give companies the chance to defend themselves. They also need to have knowledge of all the evidence and the legal considerations the administration raises.”

Senior officials from competition agencies from different jurisdictions will debate with private sector experts. They will use ICC’s Recommended Framework for International Best Practices in Competition Law Enforcement Proceedings as a starting point for the discussion.

The discussion will include two panels, one on the role of the courts, due process and procedural fairness and a second one on transparency, engagement, confidentiality, non-discrimination and accountability. Participants will also hear updates on the ongoing work on procedural fairness by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.