On 6th of December, by a unanimous vote of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Competition Committee, Competition Council member Kārlis Piģēns was elected to the OECD Competition Committee Bureau. Kārlis Piģēns will join the Bureau in 2024 to contribute to the OECD's competition policy agenda and work programme.
Kārlis Piģēns: “The election to the Bureau confirms the international recognition of the work done by the entire Competition Council among the world's most advanced economies. The responsibilities in the Bureau will enable the Competition Council to be more visible in the OECD discussion platforms next year and will strengthen the perspectives of Latvia and the whole region in the development of global competition law.”
At the same time, representatives from Japan, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, France, Brazil, Portugal, the European Union's competition law body, Spain, South Korea, Mexico, Sweden, Greece, Colombia, Germany, Norway and Lithuania were also elected to the office.
The Competition Council of Latvia was previously represented in the OECD Competition Committee Bureau in 2018, when the previous Chairperson of the Competition Council, Skaidrīte Ābrama, was elected to the organisation, thus becoming the first Eastern European representative in the Bureau.
INFORMATION:
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an intergovernmental organisation founded in 1961 and comprised of 38 of the world's most developed countries. It is headquartered in Paris, France. Latvia became the 35th member of the OECD on 1 July 2016.
The OECD is a unique forum and a globally recognised centre of expertise that enables its member countries to effectively address issues of interest to them in a wide range of sectors. The mission of the organisation is to develop and promote reforms that improve the living standards and socio-economic conditions of the population and the competitiveness of the economy. To achieve this goal, the OECD, together with national governments and policy makers, develops international guidelines and standards to promote sustainable development and to respond to pressing global challenges. The work of the OECD is organised into thematic committees, including the Competition Committee on competition law.