Report on the ICN’s 15th annual conference

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

Report on the ICN’s 15th annual conference

The ICN held its 15th annual conference, hosted by the Competition Commission of Singapore (CCS), on April 26-29, 2016. Nearly 550 participants from more than 80 jurisdictions participated, including competition experts from international organizations and the legal, business, consumer, and academic communities. The conference showcased the achievements of ICN working groups on unilateral conduct, agency effectiveness, mergers, cartels, and competition advocacy.

At the meeting, ICN members approved new guidance related to merger remedies, agency assessment and performance measurement, cartel investigative powers, market studies, competition agency ethics programs, and advocacy to the business community. The ICN also presented findings from a network-wide assessment to help shape its operations, agenda, and future work plans, known as its “Second Decade initiative”, and the conference hosts held a special session on disruptive innovation.

The results of the 2016 ICN’s Second Decade initiative reinforced the network’s commitments to inclusive engagement with its members and non-governmental advisors, experience sharing and the exchange of best practices among members, promotion of convergence and cooperation around sound enforcement approaches, and international advocacy for competition principles to the benefit of member agencies, consumers, and economie