Today’s links sample some of the cooperation agreements among competition agencies.

Chile

Russia

US DOJ

US FTC

EU

Nordic Cooperation

Japan

Canada

Brazil

Australia

CARTEL WORKSHOP

October 5-7, 2010

Yokohama, Japan 

The Japan Fair Trade Commission will host the 7th annual ICN cartel workshop. The theme of this year’s workshop is the efficient detection, investigation and punishment of cartel conduct – making the best use of agency resources.

 Contact the workshop host here.

MERGER WORKSHOP

November 3-4, 2010

Rome, Italy

 The Italian Competition Authority will host this fall’s merger workshop. Participants will discuss hot topics in merger review. The workshop also will focus on merger investigation and analysis, as well as merger notification and procedures.  A copy of the agenda is available here.

 Contact the workshop host here.

UNILATERAL CONDUCT WORKSHOP

December 2-3, 2010

Brussels, Belgium

The European Commission will host the unilateral conduct workshop, which will focus on the practical application of analytical techniques to unilateral conduct cases. Participants will discuss challenges involved in addressing anticompetitive unilateral conduct of dominant firms.

Contact the workshop host here.

The Advocacy WG created a Market Studies Information Store to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and best practice on market studies.  The store identifies ICN members’ market studies experience in particular sectors to assist fellow ICN members with: 

• identifying issues for study
• the cross-fertilisation of ideas about market issues
• identifying approaches to particular market problems
• identifying ICN members who may be able to assist/advise further on their experience of conducting market studies in particular sectors.

We hope you find the Information Store useful and welcome your feedback.  Please email your feedback to: icn.msinfostore@oft.gsi.gov.uk

The Austrian Competition Authority launched this past June its own space on Twitter under the pseudonym BWB_WETTBEWERB. You too can become a follower by clicking here.

If other ICN members are out there Tweeting, be sure to let us know so we can blog about it.

See our previous blog, here.

The Antimonopoly Office of the Slovak Republic is interested in setting up a flexible and effective system of concentrations assessment, and is looking to benefit from others’ practical experience and opinions in the field. They welcome your opinions and suggestions, which could “help to make the system of concentrations assessment more effective, eventually, could be implemented into the upcoming amendment to the Competition Act.” See here. You can send your suggestions until September 15, 2010 to these contacts:

ok@antimon.gov.sk
olpez@antimon.gov.sk

As the tenth anniversary of the Network is approaching, a new project, “Planning for ICN’s Second Decade”, was launched at the ICN Annual Conference in Istanbul, to determine where the ICN stands and in which direction it should go in the forthcoming years, including identifying its main successes and challenges. A large consultation process has been initiated, beginning with surveys and interviews of all ICN member agencies. More than 70 competition agencies have been polled to date, but this is still an ongoing process and all members are invited to give their feedback and come up with fresh new ideas to strengthen the Network. The questionnaire is available online here.

A critical part of this process is getting input from our NGAs. As John Fingleton mentioned in his recent letter, we are planning to hold a conference call to collect NGA input. To avoid clashing with too many summer holidays, the call will take place on 3 September 2010 at 8am Washington time / 2pm Brussels time / 9pm Tokyo time. The dial-in details are as follows:

US / Canada Dial-in #: (866) 209-6102
International / Local Dial-in #: +1 (763) 416-8544
Conference ID: 91244349

This week, ICNBlog opens up the ICN’s ‘treasure trove’ of work product to showcase some of the topics presented five years ago at the 2005 ICN Annual Conference, hosted by the German Bundeskartellamt in Bonn, Germany.  Each day, ICNBlog presents different links from the 2005 work product.

The Report on Interrelations Between Antitrust and Regulatory Authorities discusses the interrelation between antitrust and regulatory authorities, based on information supplied by a number of ICN member jurisdictions.

The 2005 Case Studies on Competition Advocacy in Regulated Sectors report examines competition advocacy efforts in regulated sectors through several case studies.

This week, ICNBlog opens up the ICN’s ‘treasure trove’ of work product to showcase some of the topics presented five years ago at the 2005 ICN Annual Conference, hosted by the German Bundeskartellamt in Bonn, Germany.  Each day, ICNBlog presents different links from the 2005 work product.

The 2005 Merger Remedies Review Report provides practical guidance and outlines key principles and the range of tools in the use of merger remedies. The report is based on and illustrated by merger remedy practice in a variety of jurisdictions.

The Handbook on Investigative Techniques for Merger Review is designed to inform ICN members of the various tools and techniques used in merger review, to help members organize and use their tools more efficiently, and to provide for an effective process for the evaluation of evidence. The Handbook discuss topics such as how to plan a merger investigation, developing reliable evidence in merger cases, economic and econometric analyses, and the benefits of including economists in merger review.

The Waivers of Confidentiality in Merger Investigations document includes a model form that merging parties and competition agencies can use to facilitate waivers of confidentiality protection for information that parties submit in the merger review process. The accompanying paper discusses the rationale for, content of, and use of waivers, along with illustrative agency waiver forms.

This week, ICNBlog opens up the ICN’s ‘treasure trove’ of work product to showcase some of the topics presented five years ago at the 2005 ICN Annual Conference, hosted by the German Bundeskartellamt in Bonn, Germany.  Each day, ICNBlog presents different links from the 2005 work product.

The Antitrust Enforcement in Regulated Sectors Working Group produced a 2005 report on Competition in the regulation of banks.

Accompanying that report are best practices on the role for competition in the regulation of banks.

This week, ICNBlog opens up the ICN’s ‘treasure trove’ of work product to showcase some of the topics presented five years ago at the 2005 ICN Annual Conference, hosted by the German Bundeskartellamt in Bonn, Germany.  Each day, ICNBlog presents different links from the 2005 work product.

 The Cartel Working Group report “Building Blocks for Effective Anti-Cartel Regimes” includes portions on 1) defining hard core cartel conduct; 2) the organizational arrangements that agencies can make to prosecute cartels; and 3) effective penalties applied to cartel conduct.

The Report on Consumer Outreach and Consumer Outreach Workshop presents case studies of successful and unsuccessful consumer outreach. It also includes a summary of the 2005 ICN Consumer Outreach Workshop.