Organisations we work with
The Office of Fair Trading, which manages Consumer Direct, has a number of international partners.
- ECA - European Competition Authorities
- ICN – International Competition Network
- ICPEN – International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network
- OECD – Consumer Policy Committee
- OECD – Competition Law and Policy Committee
ECA - European Competition Authorities
The ECA was founded in 2001 as a forum for discussion for the competition authorities in the European Economic Area. The ECA is an informal association whose aim is to improve co-operation between competition authorities and contribute to the efficient enforcement of national and European law. Co-operation is developed through the organisation of meetings, the establishment of working groups and the exchange of information, expertise and staff.
www.oft.gov.uk/eca
ICN – International Competition Network
The ICN is a virtual organisation, established in 2001 by competition authorities to discuss a range of practical competition enforcement and policy issues. It is an informal network of competition authorities from developed and developing countries, which operates by consensus. ICN members meet on an annual basis to discuss the project-based work streams, with the objective of sharing experiences, exchanging views and improving international co-operation on competition issues.
www.internationalcompetitionnetwork.org/
ICPEN – International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network
ICPEN is an informal network of the consumer protection enforcement authorities from over 30 countries (plus observers from OECD and the EC) across the globe. Its main objective is to encourage practical action to prevent cross-border marketing malpractice. The network promotes informal co-operation between ICPEN members, who meet as a group twice a year in the country holding the Presidency.
OECD – Consumer Policy Committee
The Consumer Policy Committee consists of the consumer protection policy departments from the 30 OECD member countries plus observers. The OFT attends the Committee, accompanying the UK's Department for Trade and Industry. It meets twice a year, to examine questions relating to consumer policy and law and to contribute to the further development and strengthening of co-operation between Member countries in policy development and law enforcement.
OECD – Competition Law and Policy Committee
The Competition Committee brings together the competition authorities from the 30 OECD member countries plus observers. The OFT is an active participant in the Competition Committee and is the UK representative to the Committee's Competition Bureau. The Committee meets three times a year to discuss member countries' competition related activities and to exchange experiences and develop best practices on topics of mutual interest. The Committee also has OECD-style dialogues with non-members at the annual Global Forum on Competition.
OECD competition policy website.
