In the race to dominate artificial intelligence, access to energy is becoming as critical as data or talent. In this video, María Pilar Canedo Arrillaga (Academic Director of the OECD-GVH Regional Centre for Competition) and Yann Guthmann (Head of the Digital Economy Unit, French Competition Authority) explore how AI’s growing energy demands are reshaping competition, creating environmental and concentration risks, and challenging regulators. This video builds on discussions from the Competition Lab for Judges on Non-Cartel Agreements, organised by the OECD-GVH Regional Centre for Competition in Budapest in January 2026, with financial support from the European Commission.

Most people associate cartels with businesses fixing prices—but collusion can also happen on the buying side. Supermarkets might conspire to pay farmers less, hospitals could coordinate to reduce doctors’ fees, and employers in labor markets may fix wages or agree not to hire from each other. In this video, María Pilar Canedo (Academic Director of the OECD-GVH Regional Centre for Competition), Alessio Aresu (Case Handler, European Commission DG COMP), and Vivien Terrien (Vice-President, French Competition Authority) explain how buyer cartels operate in labor markets and illustrate their points with two real-world cases. This video builds on discussions from the Competition Lab for Judges on Horizontal Cooperation Agreements, organised by the OECD-GVH Regional Centre for Competition in Budapest in May 2025, with financial support from the European Commission.

Cartels secretly manipulate markets, harming consumers, businesses, and society. By raising prices, rigging markets, and restricting competition, they lead to higher costs, lower quality, and fewer choices. In this video, María Pilar Canedo (Academic Director of the OECD-GVH Regional Centre for Competition), Marcelo Guimarães, and Beatriz Marques (Competition Experts, OECD Competition Division) explain how cartels operate – including through algorithms – and why enforcement is essential for fair markets and consumer trust. This video builds on discussions from the Competition Lab for Judges on Cartels, organised by the OECD-GVH Regional Centre for Competition in Budapest in December 2024, with financial support from the European Commission.

Does competition relate only to firm behavior, or does it also intersect with regulation? In this video, María Pilar Canedo (Academic Director of the OECD-GVH Regional Centre for Competition), Federica Maiorano, and Said Kechida (both Senior Competition Experts at the OECD Competition Division) explore the relationship between competition and regulation. They draw on OECD work on Competition Assessment and its practical toolkit to illustrate key insights.

The rise of the digital economy has profoundly changed how firms compete, how consumers behave, and how markets function. At the same time, the emergence of powerful platforms, the growing importance of data, and the use of algorithms have raised significant competition concerns, including potential abuse of dominance and collusion. In this second video released for judges, Renato Ferrandi (Director of International and EU Affairs, Italian Competition Authority) and Lefkothea Nteka (Partner, Lambadarios Law Firm) explore these issues, building on discussions from the Competition Lab for Judges organised by the OECD-GVH Regional Centre for Competition in Budapest in May 2022, with financial support from the European Commission.

What are the key challenges digital markets pose for competition authorities, and how can they navigate this complexity? In this video, Renato Ferrandi (Director of International and EU Affairs, Italian Competition Authority), Antonio Capobianco (Deputy Head, OECD Competition Division), and Gábor Gál (Member of the Competition Council, Hungarian Competition Authority) explore the main digital challenges for competition policy. Their discussion builds on insights from the Competition Lab for Judges, organised by the OECD-GVH Regional Centre for Competition in Budapest in May 2023, with financial support from the European Commission.

Competition enforcement has grown increasingly sophisticated, and economic analysis has become essential. This training video focuses on four key areas where economics plays a central role: market definition, market power, abuse of dominance, and vertical restraints. Renato Ferrandi (former Senior Competition Expert at OECD), Lefkothea Nteka (Partner at Lambadarios Law Firm), and Zombor Berezvai (Head of Competition Economics and Market Research Section at the Hungarian Competition Authority) explore these topics in depth. This is the first video released for judges, building on discussions from the Competition Lab for Judges held by the OECD-GVH Regional Centre for Competition in Budapest in November 2022, with financial support from the European Commission.

What are the key steps and turning points of an effective competition investigation? Competition authorities must detect violations of competition law, gather robust evidence to support them, and justify any fines – while ensuring the process remains fair and transparent. Join Renato Ferrandi, Manager of the OECD-GVH Regional Centre for Competition, Miranda Molnár, RCC Coordinator at the Hungarian Competition Authority, and Despina Pachnou, OECD Competition Expert, as they guide you through the essential steps of a fair and effective investigation.

How do competition authorities define relevant markets in antitrust investigations? And what unique challenges arise in digital markets? This short video breaks down these complex topics in simple terms. Join Renato Ferrandi, Manager of the OECD-GVH Regional Centre for Competition, Éva Révész, Deputy Head of the Merger Section at the Hungarian Competition Authority, and Richard May, OECD Competition Expert, as they guide you through this fascinating journey.

Why should competition authorities engage in market studies? What are their pros and cons? And, above all, what are the key steps to conduct successful market studies? Renato Ferrandi, Manager of the OECD-GVH Regional Centre for Competition, answers these questions together with Patricia Bascunana, Manager of Competition Economics at the UK Financial Conduct Authority, and Mariann Leskó, Economic Analyst at the Hungarian Competition Authority. An opportunity to learn from the experience developed by competition authorities all over the world and gathered by the OECD and the ICN.

When does a very powerful company abuse its market power? What are the criteria that competition authorities use to distinguish between lawful and abusive practices by dominant firms, like digital giants? Renato Ferrandi, the co-ordinator of the OECD-GVH Regional Centre for Competition, answers these questions together with James Mancini, OECD competition experts, and Márk Pánczél, Head of the Antitrust Section of the Hungarian GVH.

Competition policy can do much to fight bid rigging and co-operate with procurement bodies to contribute to better and cheaper public services. Discover some inspiring initiatives taken by competition authorities and international organisations illustrated by Renato Ferrandi, the Manager of the OECD-GVH Regional Centre for Competition, together with Despina Pachnou, OECD Competition Experts, and Attila Karsay, from the Cartel Detection Section of the Hungarian Competition Authority.

Why should State Owned Enterprises be subject to the same rules as private firms? What can competition do to ensure competitive neutrality? What are the challenges they have to face? Renato Ferrandi, the coordinator of the OECD-GVH Regional Centre for Competition, replies to these questions together with Gabriella Szilágyi, Head of International Section of the Hungarian GVH, and two OECD competition experts, Chris Pike and Matteo Giangaspero. The series “Key competition topics explained in few minutes” is a training initiative by the OECD-GVH Regional Centre for Competition, which builds on the discussion at its seminars to create short, focused videos on key competition notions.

The OECD-GVH Regional Centre for Competition is developing a set of short, focused videos that explore key competition notions. A new format to recap the key messages conveyed in our seminars and offer our beneficiary competition authorities, as well as any competition explorer, additional and engaging training opportunities. This first video focuses on antitrust commitments.The next video will address competitive neutrality. More topics will follow.