DOJ, FTC & EC Hold Third US-EU Joint Technology Competition Policy Dialogue

Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina M. Khan, the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter, and Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager of the European Commission met today in Washington, D.C., for the third meeting of the U.S.-EU Joint Technology Competition Policy Dialogue (TCPD). The principals and senior staff met to continue work on cooperation in ensuring and promoting fair competition in the digital economy.

Dialogue continues to provide an invaluable forum for the U.S. agencies to engage with the European Commission on challenges in digital markets,” said FTC Chair Khan. “At this moment of unique risk and opportunity, it is especially critical that we deepen our cooperation with key enforcement partners.”

Related: DOJ, FTC & EC Hold Second US-EU Joint Technology Competition Policy Dialogue

“Agencies around the world are adjusting their competition enforcement and regulatory regimes to account for new market realities and in particular the challenges of the digital economy,” said Assistant Attorney General Kanter. “Sharing best practices with the European Commission through the TCPD has been extraordinarily valuable to the U.S. agencies.”

“Today’s meeting has proven once again how fruitful it is to keep engaging in a close cooperation between the European Commission and the US competition authorities,” said European Commission Executive Vice President Vestager. “Exchanging our experiences and ideas on how best to anticipate and address the fast-moving trends in tech markets is vital for achieving the shared goal of a fair, inclusive and pro-competitive digital transformation, to the benefit of consumers and businesses in both the EU and U.S.”

The discussions centered on critical themes the agencies are facing, including the reasons mergers between digital players may lead to competition concerns. The agencies also shared policy reflections in the area of abuse of dominance and monopolization in the digital sector and presented recent policy initiatives in this field. They also exchanged views on the evolving business strategies of big tech companies as well as on their implications for enforcement.