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June 18, 2024

ABA antitrust conference in Spain focuses on investigations and enforcement of global cartels

CHICAGO, June 18, 2024 — The American Bar Association Antitrust Law Section will host its 15th International Cartel Workshop in Barcelona on June 24-26, with a mix of panels of government enforcers and private practitioners from around the globe as part of three days of instruction and discussion.

What:              
15th International Cartel Workshop
Sponsored by the ABA Antitrust Law Section

When:             
Monday-Wednesday, June 24-26 (
all times local)

Where:            
W Barcelona
Plaça Rosa Del Vents 1, Final, Pg. de Jo
Barcelona, Spain

Recognized globally as the premier international cartel conference, the event dates back 27 years with each workshop taking place in a different city around the globe. Past locations include San Francisco, Tokyo, London, Vancouver, Paris, New York and Rome. In the most recent workshop in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2022, 287 delegates from 29 countries attended.

The workshop, which is co-sponsored with the International Bar Association, will highlight developments and important issues relevant to cartel enforcement. The cartel workshop is the one opportunity every two years for lead competition authorities and the private bar to meet and interact regarding this area of competition law enforcement. 

Four region-specific roundtables involving enforcers are:

  • “Enforcer Spotlight: Europe” ─  The opening enforcer session brings together enforcers from across Europe to discuss recent developments in their jurisdictions and emerging trends in multijurisdictional cartel enforcement. Panelists are Juliette Enser, senior director of cartels, Competition and Markets Authority, London; Miguel Moura e Silva, board member, Portuguese Competition Authority, Lisbon; Katrin Roesen, head of unit - Special Unit for Combating Cartels (SKK), German Federal Cartel Office, Bonn.
    Monday, 9-10 a.m.
  • “Regional Spotlight: Asia-Pacific” ─ This roundtable discussion will assemble individuals from Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea and Singapore. The panelists will discuss their jurisdictions’ enforcement priorities and offer insights on future trends in global cartel enforcement. Panelists are Takujiro Kono, director of the International Affairs Division, Japan Fair Trade Commission, Tokyo; Catrina Lam, Des Voeux Chambers, Hong Kong; and Paul Rhee, Yoon & Yang LLC, Seoul.
    Tuesday, 8:45-9:45 a.m.
  • “Enforcer Spotlight: Americas” ─ This session combines a roundtable discussion featuring enforcers from Brazil and Canada, who will share their respective enforcement priorities and offer insights on future trends in global cartel enforcement. Panelists are Matthew Boswell, commissioner of competition, Competition Bureau Canada, Gatineau; Alexandre Cordeiro Macedo, president, Brazilian Administrative Counsel for Economic Defense (CADE), Brasilia; Victor Meyer Suarez, director general for cartel investigations, Federal Economic Competition Commission (COFECE), Mexico City.
    Tuesday, 1-2:30 p.m.
  • “Enforcer Spotlight: EU, Spain and U.S. in Conversation” ─ In this session, senior enforcers from Europe, Spain and the United States will discuss their respective enforcement priorities and offer insights on future trends in global cartel enforcement. Panelists are Cani Fernández Vicién, president, Spanish National Markets and Competition Commission, Madrid; Maria Jaspers, director, cartels, directorate-general for competition, European Commission, Brussels; and Manish Kumar, deputy assistant attorney general for criminal enforcement, U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division, Washington.
    Wednesday, 10:35-11:50 a.m.

The conference schedule with speakers is here. The 15th International Cartel Workshop is open to the media, but reporters are required to register in advance by noon EDT, Friday, June 21, by emailing Bill Choyke at [email protected].

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