The vital links between competition law enforcement and regulation were highlighted during a workshop for sectorial regulators organized by UNCTAD and the National Competition Agency of Nicaragua on 19 February 2015.
Under the COMPAL II programme for Nicaragua, and following the recommendations that arose from the Peer Review of Nicaragua in 2013, UNCTAD and the National Competition Agency of Nicaragua (PROCOMPETENCIA) organized a workshop on the link between sectoral regulation and competition law enforcement.
The workshop was organised to reach out to sectorial regulators who, since the amendment of the Competition Law of Nicaragua in 2014, now have the mandate to enforce competition law in their respective sectors.
The workshop kicked off with the presentation of key provisions of the General Competition Law provisions by the Competition Agency case handlers, followed by an UNCTAD presentation on the links between sector regulation and competition law enforcement. UNCTAD also made some suggestions on how regulatory sectors and the Competition Agency could work together to enforce competition law.
With the active participation of the audience, the need was addressed to launch a comprehensive and long-term capacity building programme for the regulators who will need to enforce competition law in their respective sectors.
