In the U.S. capital Washington, the 74th annual spring meeting of international experts in antitrust/competition law, consumer protection, and data protection is taking place. The meeting is organized by the American Bar Association (ABA) - a voluntary national association of lawyers and law students. The event, which has become known worldwide as "Competition Law Week," is also attended by Andrej Matvoz, Director of Slovenian Competition Protection Agency (SCPA). It is the largest meeting of experts in competition, consumer protection, and data protection in the world, involving academics, economists, enforcement authorities, law students, lawyers, and legal service providers. Last year's spring meeting was attended by 3,962 delegates from as many as 70 countries, and a similar number is expected this year as such meetings offer a valuable opportunity to gather international perspectives on competition, consumer protection, and data protection legislation from esteemed professors and delegates. The event program is enriched with unconventional conversations, such as fireside talks during the conference, where representatives of competition protection institutions from around the world conduct informative interviews and discussions with former section presidents in an informal setting.
Andrej Matvoz, director of SCPA, in conversation with Ted Voorhees, an experienced competition law advisor and lawyer at the Washington law firm Covington & Burling, and Fatjola Delija, a member of the board of the Albanian Competition Commission, spoke about perceiving the effects of competition protection in Slovenia. The discussion focused on the efforts that SCPA invests in educating the Slovenian public about the importance of competition and the need to adapt legislation to promote competition in new sectors in areas such as digital technology, digital currency, and artificial intelligence. The president of the Slovenian Competition Protection Agency also reflected on an example from 2021 in the automotive sector, where last year SCPA also concluded a (one-million) settlement with service providers. Andrej Matvoz also spoke about the latest high-profile cases of the Slovenian Competition Protection Agency and about the current activities of SCPA. At the end, Andrej Matvoz said: 'Such events and gatherings are very important and useful for the future operation of our agency. The exchange of rich experiences among participants is invaluable and important for the development of competition protection in Slovenia.'