Brazil presents request of accession to the OECD’s Competition Committee

On 8 December, during the Global Forum on Competition, held in Paris, the President of the Administrative Council for Economic Defense – CADE, Alexandre Barreto, delivered a letter to the Head of OECD’s Competition Division, Antônio Gomes, concerning Brazil’s formal request to become an associate of OECD’s Competition Committee.

The initiative is the result of a coordinated action between CADE and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wich officially presented Brazil's intention in a letter sent to OECD's Secretary-General, Angel Gurría, on 7 December. The content of the letter is aligned with the Brazilian Government strategy to participate more actively in the OECD. 

CADE believes that a more active participation in the Competition Committee will contribute to the continuity and the strengthening of the cooperation with OECD. Besides, it will foster the relationship with domestic antitrust agencies from several countries and facilitate the exposure of the Brazilian positions regarding competition matters, which influence the International debate, such as the agenda and futures works of the Organization. 

Competition Committee

The OECD is structured in different Directorates, subdivided into Committees that meet periodically to discuss different topics, such as macroeconomics, trade, development, education, science and innovation. The Competition Committee was created more than 50 years ago and encompasses the Working Party no. 2 on Competition and Regulation and the Working Party no. 3 on Co-operation and Enforcement.

Brazil’s request to join the Competition Committee as an associate is seen as a natural consequence of CADE’s active participation at the OECD.

Although Brazil is not a member of the Organization yet, the country participates in the condition of an observer member in OECD fora and, through CADE’s activities, periodically presents written contributions to the discussions on competition. It is worth to notice that the Brazilian Competition Law, which resulted in several benefits to the Brazilian Competition System, was largely inspired by the recommendations, studies and peer reviews performed by the Organization.