ProCompetencia institutional and educational initiatives

The National Commission for the Defense of Competition (ProCompetencia) in the Dominican Republic has initiated efforts to strengthen the country’s legal and educational frameworks regarding competition law.

In mid-August, ProCompetencia signed a cooperation agreement with Universidad del Caribe (Unicaribe) to integrate competition law into academic curricula for law, business, and marketing programs. The partnership includes the development of specialized diplomas, online courses, internships, and joint research. ProCompetencia President María Elena Vásquez Taveras highlighted the necessity of updating legal frameworks to address digital challenges such as artificial intelligence and algorithms.

By late August, the focus expanded to the constitutional importance of market competition. During the II International Law Congress, Vásquez Taveras argued that free competition is a vital component of the Dominican Republic’s Social and Democratic State of Law. She emphasized that competition law aims to prevent anti-competitive behaviors that use market power to exclude others, stating, “Competition does not guarantee the success of any company, but it must guarantee that all can compete under open conditions and without unjustified barriers.”