Mary-Claude Mitchell (LIDC): A new chair for the LIDC

1. You have just been elected to chair the International League of Competition Law (Ligue Internationale du Droit de la Concurrence - LIDC). You are the first woman to hold this position. Can you come back on your background, career and prior involvement in the League?

2. During the last decade, competition networks and associations gatherings have boomed, especially those built around specific individual communities (e.g. lawyers, competition authorities). How do you see the role and added value of the League in today’s competition world?

3. In your election speech, you have mentioned your project to expand the League’s membership, in particular with regard to the USA. Can you tell us why going global is one of your priorities?

4. The League has also recently amended its Constitution to integrate individual members besides State-based organizations. What are the reasons for this change?

5. Other organizations are going through a similar process of expanding beyond their initial current constituency or building further bridges between themselves and other communities. For instance, the ICN (International Competition Network) has appointed two dedicated officers in charge of stimulating outreach on the one hand and liaising with non-governmental authorities (NGAs) on the other. What are the League’s views on these initiatives?

6. The League’s work is centered on a yearly Congress focused on two topics raising important “philosophical” and policy issues, as well as legal issues (RPM and comparative advertisement vs. intellectual property in 2010). How does the League make sure that it addresses these topics in a way that will achieve the greatest possible added value on the marketplace of competition ideas?

7. In the coming months, the League will be working hard in order to make sure that its forthcoming Oxford Congress is will be as successful as those of Vienna (2009) and Bordeaux (2010). Can you tell us more about that?

8. The League’s unique membership enables it to match senior academics, lawyers and enforcers, but also more junior people. How does the idea of building on current experience and vision in order to prepare tomorrow fit in your agenda as chair of the League?

9. On a more personal note, how do you view the role of competition law and policy in today’s troubled and globalised economies?

Interview conducted by Fabien Zivy, General Court of the EU ,Luxembourg.