Applying competition law to wholesale mobile access is becoming increasingly difficult owing to rapid change and development in the mobile industry, a leading European Commission official said yesterday. Faaez Samadi in Lisbon.

As the International Competition Network comes closer to a multi-agency framework for merger review, counsel have been urged by the heads of Canada and Japan’s competition agencies not to prioritise the largest jurisdictions when filing a merger, calling it a very risky strategy. Clare Bolton in Rio de Janeiro.

Preventing, detecting and prosecuting bid rigging rings often requires extensive outreach efforts to help raise awareness and foster cooperation among procurement officials, contractors and public prosecutors, a panel of top cartel enforcers said today. Ron Knox in Rio de Janeiro.

The relationship between competition law and trade subsidies must be examined to ensure fairer markets, particularly in developing economies, a senior Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) official said today. Faaez Samadi in Paris

Protecting small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) from competition in European markets will leave them underprepared for global competition, said a leading business delegate at the European Commission’s Competition Forum 2012. Faaez Samadi in Brussels

Competition policy helps to promote innovation in European markets, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said today. Faaez Samadi in Brussels

According to lawyers from Venezuela and Australia, companies in oil and gas producing nations must increasingly take account of foreign competition laws in their contracts – particularly the antitrust legislation of the nations they supply. Kyriaki Karadelis in Dubai

International cooperation and advocacy should be the key aims for competition agencies in the next decade, according to the chair of the International Competition Network. Faaez Samadi in The Hague.