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Competition

The Role of Competition Policy in Promoting Economic Recovery

 

 2 December 2020 & 24 February 2021 

As the COVID-19 crisis moved towards economic recovery, governments, policymakers and regulators, including competition authorities, face different challenges in order to support a swift and robust recovery. 

In a world hard hit by a pandemic on an unprecedented scale, where entire sectors are being subject to change, expecting market forces to provide all the incentives to adapt to the new world within the timeframes that minimises deep economic crisis with all its implications on social cohesion, is probably not enough. Therefore, in most jurisdictions, the state has been playing a role in minimising the direct hit from the crisis and can be expected to continue to play a role in the shaping of the recovery.

In this context, the question therefore arises: how can competition policy and more specifically competition authorities contribute to a faster and more sustained economic recovery?

In December 2020, the OECD held a roundtable to discuss:

  • Is there a role for competition authorities in the recovery phase and what might it be?
  • What is the role of competition advocacy in the design and implementation of state interventions?
  • What is the role for competition enforcement in the recovery?

The key findings of this discussion were again explored during the 2021 OECD Competition Open Day in a virtual event open to the public. 

All related documentation are available on this page.

» See full list of best practice roundtables on competition 

2021 OECD COMPETITION OPEN DAY

The role of competition policy in promoting economic recovery  was also be addressed during the third edition of the OECD Competition Open Day.

Learn more about this virtual event

Watch the full session on this topic on replay

Invited speakers

Chiara Criscuolo Bio  ‌  

Head of Division Productivity Innovation and Entrepreneurship Division, Science Technology and Innovation Directorate, OECD

Bill Kovacic Bio  

Global Competition Professor of Law and Policy, Professor of Law, Director, Competition Law Center, George Washington University

Philip Lowe Bio 

Partner, Oxera

 

 

 

Documents

OECD Background note EN | FR

Detailed Summary of the discussion  EN | FR

Executive Summary with key findings EN | FR

Contributions from delegations

Brazil

Canada EN / FR

Costa Rica

Egypt

EU

Italy

Mexico  

Portugal

Russia

Spain

Ukraine

United States

BIAC

Summaries of contributions

Videos

2021 Competition Open Day session on the topic on replay

Adina Claici on the design of government aid that minimises competition distortions

Daniel Crane on the importance of competition in times of economic crisis

Jorge Padilla on competition in times of economic crisis

 

Philip Lowe on lessons learnt from previous crisis

Bill Kovacic on the importance of advocacy in times of crisis

Chiara Criscuolo and the effects of the 2020 crisis on markets

Ruben Maximiano on challenges faced by competition authorities in times of crisis

RELATED BEST PRACTICE ROUNDTABLES

The Failing Firm Defence (2009)

Competition Policy, Industrial Policy and National Champions (2009)

Competition, State Aids and Subsidies (2010)

Exit Strategies (2010)

Industrial Policy and the Promotion of Domestic Industry (2018)

SEE ALSO

Competition policy responses to COVID-19

OECD Covid-19 Impact Hub 

OECD best practice roundtables on competition

More OECD work on competition

 

 

 

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