The Antitrust Compliance Network
- Presentation of the Antitrust Compliance Network
- List of Antitrust Publications from Joe Murphy
The Antitrust Compliance Network started as a simple email network among those around the world who believed in the importance of antitrust/competition law compliance programs, and in the government’s role in promoting such programs by effective policy measures. The group did not believe that mere words made compliance programs effective, and did not believe that mere words on the government’s part would promote such programs. They pushed for government to use its leverage to get companies to enhance their compliance efforts, and this meant that government needed to distinguish companies that did not care and did not try, from those that acted in good faith and had diligent competition law compliance programs.
Compliance should be in focus for competition authorities. Prevention is always better than cure. Therefore, the Antitrust Compliance Summit & Awards initiative is to be lauded.
You have probably heard that it is much better to be safe than sorry. This maxim, applicable to so many situations, can also be used when we discuss corruption, since the act of anticipating situations prevents they spread through public or private companies. Corruption, besides compromising the money of entities, whether public or private, also puts their reputation at stake. On the other hand, compliance programs may establish an organizational culture that encourages ethical conduct and a commitment to comply with the organization’s internal and external standards. In this way, they promote the fight against corruption and reduce the number of lawsuits and administrative proceedings, as well as the chances of financial losses. Experience shows that an effective compliance program can bring about great results. By adopting such programs, we ensure the maintenance of competition in the market and prevent the emergence of violations and harm caused by the lack of competition. Moreover, if we keep a company from losing value, it certainly creates benefits to the entire supply chain, that is, the company itself, investors, consumers, trading partners, and even authorities, as prevention is always preferable to repression, incurring lower costs to society. In view of this, it is important to recognize initiatives that aim to foster and encourage companies to have robust compliance programs that are capable of mapping risks and minimizing the practice of illegal acts, whether these are related to competition law or other matters.
Compliance plays an integral role in antitrust/competition law and this initiative recognizes its growing centrality.
I congratulate Concurrences on their timely initiative of the Antitrust Compliance Summit & Awards. To highlight the importance of antitrust compliance at this moment is very welcome as we know that firms and managers are particularly tempted to engage in anticompetitive and collusive practices in times of crises.
In the current globalized economy weakened by the health crisis, this Concurrences’s initiative is ideal for developing and promoting of compliance antitrust.
The international dimension and the format of the event give an exceptional character to the image of the participation of many professionals representative of the ecosystem (lawyers, experts, public authorities, enterprises, etc.). The opportunity to experience a 360 ° view of the antitrust issue not to be missed.
For me, Legaltech’s innovation and digital solutions are both major elements and catalysts for an effective implementation in terms of compliance antitrust by bringing traceability, consolidation, confidentiality and security to enterprises.
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