ICN’s Merger Working Group: A Driver of International Cooperation

Mar 04, 2014

CPI ICN Column edited by Maria Coppola (U.S. Federal Trade Commission)

ICN’s Merger Working Group: A Driver of International Cooperation – Molly Askin and Paul O’Brien* (US Federal Trade Commission)

One of the four tenets in the International Competition Network’s mission statement is “to facilitate effective international cooperation to the benefit of member agencies.” ICN working groups have addressed the topic of enforcement cooperation in various projects over the course of ICN’s existence.¹ In 2012, the ICN Steering Group initiated an ICN-wide international cooperation project to address the topic across enforcement areas and deepen the discussion of enforcement cooperation within the network.²

The network’s increased emphasis on the practice of enforcement cooperation reflects the proliferation of multijurisdictional matters and the needs of ICN member agencies. ICN discussions and written work have focused on the goals and methods of cooperation within existing legal frameworks, with a view to identifying effective practices and producing practical guidance.

In 2011, the first ICN program to address international enforcement cooperation in a variety of competition enforcement areas occurred at a roundtable program on enforcement cooperation in Washington, D.C. The roundtable provided an interactive forum for sharing experiences among agencies and non-governmental advisers (NGAs). The discussion at this forum helped shape an ICN-w