The Academic Society for Competition Law, ASCOLA, has voted on new rules on disclosure and transparency and agreed upon a revised ASCOLA Transparency and Disclosure Declaration at the Chicago 2025 General Assembly. The members agreed that the 2018 version of the Declaration needed an update, clearer rules, and recommendations for a transparency culture. At ASCOLA events, these rules apply and shall safeguard that the audiences have full clarity about sources of funding or data. Members are encouraged to advocate for transparency in journals, the media, and events wherever they are active. ‘Academia can only be trusted when we are fully transparent about our sources and potential biases,’ said outgoing president Rupprecht Podszun.
In recent years, an increasing number of enforcers have voiced concerns about the independence and neutrality of academics. The new declaration was drafted by a committee chaired by professor Giorgio Monti and comprising professors Thomas Cheng, Magali Eben and Ioannis Lianos. The committee undertook a thorough review of existing rules and practices in preparation of the drafting. The new declaration and a position statement by Giorgio Monti can be found here.