European Union, India strengthen cooperation on competition policy

European Union and India have decided to strengthen their cooperation on Competition Policy.

The fourth EU-India Competition Week took place online on December 13-14 and showcased the commitment of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Competition (DG Competition) and the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to step up their cooperation and technical exchanges on competition policy and law, according to the EU Delegation to India and Bhutan

Further, CCI Chairperson Ashok Kumar Gupta opened the event, emphasizing that the EU-India Competition Week is another valuable program organized by the European Union that is extremely relevant for CCI officers strengthening their capacities and building close association with the EU staff.

Also, the Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to India, Seppo Nurmi, in his opening remarks, added that the organisation of the fourth Competition Week in India was a great opportunity for an open and thorough discussion on competition policy and law, and evidence of the commitment on both sides to strengthen their cooperation and technical exchanges, building on the previous years' Competition Weeks

Meanwhile, officials from both agencies were joined by officials from the Italian and French national competition authorities for a series of roundtable discussions. Discussions focussed on the practical challenges of competition enforcement and regulation on digital markets, building on previous year's discussions in light of recent developments, according to the EU Delegation to India and Bhutan

Also, the second day of discussions focused on competition law and enforcement in the pharmaceutical sector

Earlier, the Competition Week builds on the Memorandum of Understanding signed between DG Competition and the CCI in 2013, to deepen relations and strengthen cooperation between the two agencies.

Further, the MoU sets out the framework for discussion on competition legislation, sharing of non-confidential information on legislation and enforcement and technical cooperation between India and Germany.