NAPLES, 28-29 SEPTEMBER: 60 COUNTRIES WILL BE ATTENDING THE FIRST ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION NETWORK. A NEW WORLDWIDE ANTI-TRUST NETWORK
PRESS RELEASE
PRESS RELEASE
NAPLES, 28-29 SEPTEMBER: 60 COUNTRIES WILL BE ATTENDING THE FIRST ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION NETWORK. A NEW WORLDWIDE ANTITRUST NETWORK.
A worldwide network to foster competition to simplify procedures for companies trading transnationally, and strengthen cooperation to eliminate cartels: this is the objective of the International Competition Network (ICN), created by over 60 competition agencies and authorities worldwide, whose first International Conference will be held in Naples on 28 and 29 September.
The conference will address two issues: firstly, agreeing a set of rules, standardised as far as possible, for the notification of acquisitions and mergers involving several countries, and sometimes several continents; secondly, promoting competition rules in the globalisation age by opening up the debate to all the developing countries that have already enacted, or are about to enact, competition legislation. Competition promotion and the adoption of a worldwide view of antitrust principles is also in the best interests of consumers, who are becoming increasingly aware of the threat posed by a lack of supranational rules governing trading relations and large-scale acquisitions and mergers.
To emphasise the democratic nature of this new organisation, the Naples Conference will also be attended by invited guests representing civil society, Academia and non-governmental organisations.
In addition to the Italian Competition Authority, which is organising the Conference for Italy, more than 60 competition authorities are expected in Naples: United States antitrust representatives from the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission, and the Chairs of all Europe's competition authorities, the European Competition Commissioner, Mario Monti, and representatives from Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia, Russia, and the former Soviet republics.
Complete information on all the members of the ICN and other details are availabe on the ICN Website www.internationalcompetitionnetwork.org.
Rome, 24 September 2002