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The representatives of Competition Promotion Agencies from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, United States of America, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Peru and Venezuela:

Considering the continuously increased integration of global economy and, in particular, the close and growing economic relations among their countries;

Recognizing that the effective implementation of competition laws and policies is essential to ensure the appropriate functioning of free market;

Stating that the benefits for all countries where open and competitive markets exist must not be compromised by a noncompetitive behavior and, particularly, practices of cartelization;

Anticipating the commercial and economic integration sought for through negotiations of Americas' Agreement on Free Trade;

Express their intent to:

1. Promote a true culture of competition among the participants in the market within their respective countries;
2. Strengthen their commitment to an effective enforcement of the appropriate laws on competition; combating especially illegal agreements on price fixing, concerted actions to participate in public biddings and in market division;
3. Cooperate with each other, pursuant to their respective laws, in order to maximize the effective and efficient enforcement of competition laws for each country, and help in disseminating the best practices in the application of their competition policies, with an emphasis on an institutional policy of openness;
4. Motivate the small economies in the region not having still competition systems to finish developing their regulatory frameworks.
5. Promote these principles in the Competition Policy Negotiation Group of the Free Trade Area of the Americas.