CADE’s representatives take part in ICN Annual Conference

Representatives of the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) participated in the 22nd International Competition Network (ICN) Annual Conference in Barcelona, one of the most important events in the antitrust community. The event was held by the Spanish National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC), in Spain, from 18 to 20 October. The annual conference is an opportunity for ICN members to discuss key topics and trends of the antitrust law, based on the perspectives of representatives of several antitrust authorities and specialists in the area.

Alexandre Cordeiro, the president of CADE, Alexandre Barreto, the superintendent-general, and Marcus Vinícius Silveira de Sá, the coordinator of antitrust analysis, represented CADE as speakers and moderators. Alessandra Rosa and Bruna Cardoso, civil servants of the International Unit and the Office of the Coordinator-General of Budget, Finance, and Logistics, respectively, also took part in the event.

On 18 October, president Cordeiro participated in a plenary of a Merger Working Group that dealt with matters related to digital markets. Tina Søreide, the director general of the Norwegian Competition Authority, and Michael Reynolds, the representative of the International Bar Association (IBA), were moderators of the discussions. The debate also featured Sarah Cardell, chief executive of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), from the UK, and Olivier Guersent, director general of the Directorate-General for Competition (DG-COMP), from the European Union.

At the time, president Cordeiro shared the experiences of CADE in merger reviews in digital markets, presented the main theories of harm used, and challenges faced by the authority in those analyses.

Alexandre Cordeiro also moderated the NGA Engagement Session, bringing non-profit consultants together to discuss digital markets and regulatory initiatives. The panel included Eleanor Fox, from the USA, Amanda Mfuphi, from South Africa, Harikumar Pillay, from Singapore, and Vanessa Turner, from the European Union. On 19 October, the coordinator Marcus Vinícius moderated the session on data management, market power, and potential competition in merger analysis. The panel had representatives from antitrust authorities of UK, Chile, Spain, Sweden, and Kenya.

Alexandre Barreto, the superintendent-general of CADE, took part in the sessions on the use of innovative detection tools and competition in the food and agriculture sectors.

In the closing ceremony, ICN President Andreas Mundt announced the next edition of the annual conference, which is happening in May 2024, in Brazil. On the occasion, Alexandre Barreto invited all the members of the ICN to participate in the event, which CADE is to hold, and presented the 2024 ICN Annual Conference promotional video. To watch the video, click here.

CADE’s representatives also had the chance to take part in a bilateral meeting with the Directorate-General for Competition (DG COMP), from the European Union. They discussed the most recent developments in terms of merger analysis and enforcement in their respective jurisdictions, focusing on digital and non-horizontal mergers, as well as corrective measures related to international cooperation.

ICN 

The International Competition Network is the broadest global forum specialised in competition defence. The projects of the forum are based on five working groups: cartel, mergers and acquisitions, unilateral conduct, competition law, and effectiveness of the antitrust agencies.

Established in 2001, the event currently brings together 140 competition authorities of 130 jurisdictions, in addition to non-profit consultants, aiming to promote an international convergence that operates in a voluntary basis of best practices and antitrust regulations.