International cartel investigators have convened in Sydney for the International Competition Network’s 2004 Cartels and Leniency Workshops.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, a member of the ICN, has acted as host to the events.
The Cartels Workshop has been an important part of the enforcement agency calendar for a number of years but this year, for the first time, it took place under the ICN banner. At the workshop investigators swapped notes on the tools and techniques used to detect and break up cartels.
Cooperation and coordination with respect to international cartel investigations was a particular area of focus. Several agencies at the workshop including the ACCC, US Department of Justice, European Commission, Canadian Competition Bureau and the Japan Fair Trade Commission have already cooperated on a number of cartel cases and cooperation is only expected to grow in the future.
The Leniency Workshop is a new initiative, reflecting the important role played by leniency policies in bringing cartel conduct to light. Leniency policies are only effective detection tools if designed and implemented appropriately, and these issues were discussed and debated by both investigators and private practitioners.
The Australian public will have the chance to meet some of the key presenters from the workshops at the ACCC’s Cracking Cartels conference tomorrow (Wednesday) in Sydney.