Press release 21/2022

October 20, 2022

• The CNMC and the AdC reiterated to work together on investigations and in the combat against the bid-rigging in public procurement.

• Since 2004, both agencies have cooperated to strengthen commercial ties between Spain and Portugal and enhance competition in the markets of Spain and Portugal.

• The meeting focused on discussions regarding cartels, mergers, labor markets, and digital markets. 

The AdC and the CNMC have met in Madrid to strengthen their strategic collaboration in competition matters.
During the meeting, the president of the CNMC, Cani Fernández, and the president of the AdC, Margarida Matos Rosa, reinforced the commitment to continue working together on investigations, as well as on initiatives to combat the bid-rigging of public tenders.
The President of the CNMC Cani Fernández emphasized the cooperation between the CNMC and the AdC over the years. "We share the interest of protecting competition and rights of consumers in our countries, specially with regard to the economic interlinks between the Spanish and Portuguese markets".
The President of the AdC, Margarida Matos Rosa, highlighted “Current economic challenges, such as recovery and inflation, are common to our economies. Enhancing our cooperation allows for a more significant impact of competition enforcement in our countries, which ultimately benefits consumers”.
Since the first bilateral meeting in 2004, both authorities have strengthened coordination to enhance competition enforcement in the markets.

9th bilateral meeting

On this occasion, the CNMC and the AdC have shared their most recent actions in matters of cartels, mergers, labor and digital markets, in addition to their latest initiatives to promote competition. The work sessions were oriented towards the sharing of experiences and a better mutual understanding of the Portuguese and Spanish markets.
The AdC and the CNMC reiterated their commitment to cooperate on priority issues for both institutions.
The cooperation between the two agencies is particularly important given the proximity of the markets. In 2021, the AdC and CNMC carried out parallel unannounced inspections in companies providing commercial and financial information on businesses, in both countries. Both authorities were investigating possible market-sharing and price-fixing agreements for those services.
Moreover, the ECN+ Directive, which has been transposed in both jurisdictions, enhances the scope for cooperation.