OECD Competition Committee approves the admission of Brazil as an Associated Member

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has accepted the application of Brazil to become an associated member of its Competition Committee. The acting head of the OECD Competition Division, Antonio Capobianco, made the announcement and the authorities of the Brazilian government and the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (Cade) received it with enthusiasm.

“The approval is a great pride for Cade, once it consolidates more than twenty years of close collaboration with OECD in terms of competition, the alignment with the international best practices and the agency’s commitment with the competition defense in Brazil”, said Alexandre Barreto, Cade’s President.

According to Mr. Barreto, the country’s admission to the Competition Committee is largely a result of the agency’s contributions in discussions regarding the theme inside OECD and the agency’s constant participation in annual meetings promoted by the Organization. Cade will now participate more actively of the work conducted by the group, trying to strengthen the cooperation with other antitrust authorities in the Organization. The goal is to collaborate with the consolidation of international best practices related to antitrust policy. 

The Minister of Justice and Public Security, Sergio Moro, also celebrated the admission of Brazil to the Competition Committee. “The admission of Brazil to the OECD Competition Committee is a result of a serious effort made by Cade and the Federal Government and is a sign of the increasing international prestige of the country”, he said.

The Minister of Economy, Paulo Guedes, also highlighted the importance of the country’s admission to the Committee. “The participation of Brazil as an Associated Member of the OECD Competition Committee reflects our commitment to more efficient markets. It also indicates our alignment with the international best standards of public policy and the capacity of effective contribution to the Organization’s activities”, he said.

The President of the Brazilian Institute of Competition Studies (Ibrac), Marcio Bueno, emphasized the acting of Cade in the framework of the Organization. “The admission to the OECD Competition Committee is another important international recognition obtained by Cade and awards more than two decades of exchange, as an observer, with the elite of the international antitrust community, aiming to strengthen the Brazilian Competition Defence System (SBDC, in its acronym in Portuguese), by the exchange of experiences with other jurisdictions and the adoption of international best practices.”

Membership process

The dialogues for the admission of Brazil to the OECD Competition Committee began on December 2017. Through a coordinated action with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cade formalized the request during the Global Forum on Competition held by the Organization that year, in Paris, France.

On March 2018, Cade received a positive feedback on the request and got the information that would have to undergo a peer review process, which would encompass a wide and meticulous evaluation of the Brazilian competition policy and legislation, as well as its compliance with OECD standards.

The report resulting from the peer review process was presented by the Cade delegation last November, during the 130th Meeting of OECD Competition Committee, in Paris. The Organization has recognized the important advances of the agency since the enactment of the Law 12.529/2011 and the wide implementation of the recommendations of the previous peer reviews conducted in 2005 and 2010.

The OECD report also pointed the Cade as one of the main antitrust agencies around the world and considered the agency one of the most efficient public bodies in Brazil.

Competition Committee

The OECD is structured in several directories, subdivided in committees that gather periodically to discuss different topics such as macroeconomics, trade, development, education, science and innovation. Created more than 50 years ago, the Competition Committee has two working groups dealing with the interface between the competition and regulation and the cooperation and enforcement of antitrust laws.

Brazil, through Cade, has always acted in the forums as a participant member, and regularly submits written contributions to support the discussions. The Brazilian Law of Competition Defense, in addition, was largely inspired by the recommendations, studies and revisions made by the Organization, resulting in numerous benefits to the SBDC.

“With the approval of the country’s admission to the Competition Committee, we are committed to intensifying the exchange of experiences with OECD members, sharing the successful experiences of Brazil in terms of competition, and increasingly refining our policy and practices inspired by recommendations and expertise of the Organization”, said the President, Alexandre Barreto.