Competition Committee (COMP) Mr. Frédéric Jenny
1. What is the mission and mandate of your Committee? The OECD Competition Committee protects and promotes competition based on rigorous research and analysis validating the idea that vigorous market competition boosts growth and employment and makes economies more flexible and innovative. The focus areas of the Committee’s work include: • effective competition law enforcement; • pro-competitive economic reform; • policy convergence; • improving awareness of the benefits of competition for businesses and consumers. The Competition Committee also has two Working Parties: • The mandate of Working Party No. 2 is: "enhancing the effectiveness of procompetitive economic reform, including by reviewing competition issues in jurisdictions and particular sectors and identifying options for addressing these issues and developing Best Practices for Working Party No.2 on Competition and Regulation". • The mandate of Working Party No. 3 is: "enhancing the effectiveness of competition law enforcement, through measures that include the development of Best Practices and the promotion of cooperation among competition authorities of Member countries for Working Party No. 3 on Cooperation and Enforcement". 2. You have been designated Committee Chair. What is your background and what has convinced you to take up this post? How do you consider your background and experience contribute to such a role and function? When I was appointed, I was able to draw on experience both as an academic (having been a Professor of Economics at the ESSEC Business School since 1972), a competition-law practitioner (through various senior roles with the French competition authority) and an economic policy advisor (to the French and other governments, as well as to international bodies such as the World Trade Organisation). Since my appointment, I have served as Non-Executive Director of the Office of Fair Trading in the United Kingdom (2007-2014), Judge on the French Supreme Court (Cour de Cassation, Economic Commercial and Financial Chamber) from 2004 to 2012, Vice-Chair of the French Competition Authority (19932004), and President of the WTO Working Group on Trade and Competition (1997-2004). First, I took on the role based on a strong belief in the importance of international cooperation among competition authorities, and the OECD’s unique position to facilitate this cooperation. The Competition Committee is a forum identifying opportunities for a common approach, and exploring the differences in perspectives and analysis within the competition community. Second, as an academic trained in the US in the economics of markets, and as a policymaker, I have
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