Competition chiefs hold secret strategy meeting

Date: 26/09/02

By Peter Chapman

SENIOR DG Competition officials met at a secret Belgian location last weekend to plot the future management strategy at the European Commission's highest profile department.

New director-general Philip Lowe and his inner circle discussed how work would be divided between the new line-up that includes his deputies Claude Chêne and Gianfranco Rocca - in charge of cartels and state aids respectively - as well as the soon-to-be announced merger policy chief.

Also on the menu was the scope for spreading out work between the department's merger task force and other departments specialising in industry sectors.

The economic slowdown means mergers and acquisitions notified to Brussels have lurched from a torrent in 2000 to a trickle in 2002.

But competition experts say boosting in-house cooperation could inject greater industry know-how into merger decisions.

Competition spokeswoman Amelia Torres said a decision had already been taken to give the DG's transport department greater responsibility for vetting mergers in the sector - although she refused to comment on the weekend gathering.

Senior DG Competition officials met recently to discuss the future management strategy at the European Commission's highest profile department.