Markets Wired

Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Edith Ramirez will participate in the 13th annual International Competition Network (ICN) conference in Marrakech, Morocco, from April 23-25, 2014. At the conference, antitrust officials and private sector antitrust experts from around the world and representatives of intergovernmental organizations will discuss key competition issues and recent ICN work in the areas of agency effectiveness, mergers, unilateral conduct, cartels, and advocacy. 

Conference panels will discuss the application of competition law to state-owned enterprises, competition agencies’ investigative processes, competition advocacy, effective anti-cartel enforcement, legal standards applicable to unilateral conduct, and international enforcement cooperation. Member agencies also will finalize work programs for the coming year and engage in long-term planning.

Chairwoman Ramirez will give remarks during the plenary panel on international cooperation in merger cases.

In October 2001, the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice joined with antitrust agencies from 13 other jurisdictions around the world (Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and Zambia) to create the ICN.  The ICN now includes 129 member agencies from 116 jurisdictions. The goal of the ICN is to provide a forum for antitrust agencies to address enforcement and policy issues of common interest and to propose ways that member governments could more closely align their policies and enforcement.

The following portions of this year’s conference will be open to the press:

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23 (Day 1)

4:30 a.m. (EDT),  9:30 a.m. (DST) – Opening Session

The conference’s opening session will include remarks by Abdelilah Benkirane, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Morocco, Abdelali Benamour, President of the Moroccan Competition Council, and Andreas Mundt, ICN Chair and President of Germany’s Bundeskartellamt.  

6:15 a.m. (EDT), 11:15 a.m. (DST) – Special Project Session

Mohammed Abouelaziz, Legal Adviser to the President of the Moroccan Competition Council, will moderate a panel discussion on state-owned enterprises under competition law. 

7:15 a.m. (EDT), 12:15 p.m. (DST) – Agency Effectiveness Session Advocacy Session

Paul O’Brien, International Counsel at U.S. Federal Trade Commission, will moderate a panel on investigative process. Panelists will include Alexander Italianer, Director General of the European Commission’s Directorate for Competition, Alejandra Palacios Prieto, President of the Mexican Federal Economic Competition Commission, and Kazuyuki Sugimoto, Chairman of the Japan Fair Trade Commission.

THURSDAY, APRIL 24 (Day 2)

4:00 a.m. (EDT), 9:00 am. (DST) – Advocacy Session

The ICN’s Advocacy Working Group will present a panel discussion on competition agency advocacy.  Panelists will include David Currie, Chairman of the United Kingdom Competition and Markets Authority.

6:30 a.m. (EDT), 11:30 am. (DST) – Cartel Session

John Pecman, Commissioner of the Competition Bureau Canada, will moderate a panel discussion on how the ICN promotes effective cartel enforcement.  Panelists will include

Bill Baer, Assistant Attorney General of the DOJ’s Antitrust Division.

12:30 p.m. (EDT), 5:00 p.m. (DST) – Unilateral Conduct Session

The ICN’s Unilateral Conduct Working Group will present a panel discussion on unilateral conduct.  Panelists will include Renata Hesse, Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the DOJ’s Antitrust Division and Massimo Motta, Chief Competition Economist of the European Commission’s Directorate General for Competition.

FRIDAY, APRIL 25 (Day 3)

4:30 a.m. (EDT), 9:30 am. (DST) – Merger Session

Salvatore Rebecchini, Commissioner of the Italian Competition Authority, will moderate a panel discussion on international cooperation in merger cases. Panelists Edith Ramirez, FTC Chairwoman and Rod Sims, Chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

7:45 a.m. (EDT), 12:45 am. (DST) – Closing

The conference will be held at the Palmeraie in Marrakech, Morocco.  More information about the conference is available at http://www.icnmarrakech2014.ma/.  ICN documents are available at http://www.internationalcompetitionnetwork.org.