Noticias

The key role played by the National Economic Prosecutor’s Office in the removal of administrative obstacles to competition was recognized in the 2017 – 2018 Competition Advocacy Contest, organized by the World Bank Group and the International Competition Network (ICN), highlighting the importance of integrating the principles of competition in sectoral regulations to address the barriers that hinders competition.

The FNE presented its experience in three high-impact cases in national markets, in which it applied the new powers granted in 2016 to make policy recommendations: (i) in an investigation of processed baby foods, identified that some outdated nutritional requirements acted as barriers to the imports of these products, reducing internal competition, and the Ministry of Health accepted the recommendation to modify its regulations after verifying that an update was required; (ii) a recommendation was issued to the Ministry of the Environment to authorize the export of lead batteries, after identifying barriers for processing and recycling them in the country; and (iii) the telecommunications companies implemented the recommendation of the FNE to separate the charges for telecom services from the sale of mobiles, with the proactive participation of SUBTEL.

A relevant element for the success in the implementation of the recommendations of the FNE is the joint and cooperative work with the sectoral authorities involved, seeking shared objectives and understanding the challenges of public policies under discussion. This strategy begins with a meeting of the heads of agencies and the formation of a common work team. The regulator is aware of the progress of the investigation, within the restrictions of confidentiality, and this allows the sectorial body to be involved in the perspective of protecting competition, preparing for a coordinated solution before the FNE makes public its decision with a regulatory recommendation.

In the same category, honorable mentions were awarded to the competition agencies of Hong Kong and Mexico. More than 50 initiatives participated in the contest, presented by both government authorities and non-governmental organizations from 30 jurisdictions.