Challenges and opportunities for younger and smaller agencies in developing countries and countries with economies in transition
While globalization has encouraged economic transactions worldwide in the last years/decades, they have also facilitated cross-border anti-competitive practices led by global companies. Hence, competition cases have become increasingly international in nature, calling for enhanced international cooperation in law enforcement and for the rethinking of appropriate tools to tackle this.
The development of international cooperation in competition enforcement requires competition authorities to overcome challenges faced in cross-border investigations, such as different legal systems, specific procedures for gathering evidence and the implementation of leniency programmes. Formal cooperation agreements play an important role but informal cooperation is relevant in international cartel investigations, mergers and acquisitions and abuse of dominance cases. Trust issues may be a challenge when triggering cooperation schemes.
The Ad-hoc Expert Group Meeting on Competition law and policy will provide an opportunity for all UNCTAD member States and relevant stakeholders to hold consultations on the topic at stake, allowing for a comprehensive and detailed discussion before the next session of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Competition Law and Policy to be held from 10-12 July 2019.
Speaking Arrangements
Delegates who would like to speak during the session are invited to inform the UNCTAD secretariat by contacting:
Pierre Horna
Legal Affairs Officer
Competition and Consumer Policies Branch
E.: Pierre.Horna@un.org
