First meeting of the
APEC-OECD Co-operative Initiative on Regulatory Reform
21-22 February 2001, Singapore
APEC Ministers concluded their annual meeting on 13 November 2000 in Brunei
Darussalam. The ministers�� joint statement, found at www.apecsec.org.sg/whatsnew/press/rel53_2000.html,
endorsed the APEC-OECD Co-operative Initiative on Regulatory Reform.
APEC and OECD are organising the first meeting of the Initiative, to be held in Singapore on 21-22 February 2001. For further information, contact:
In APEC
Convenor of APEC Group on Competition Policy & Deregulation
Margarita Trillo
Tel: (511) 224 7800
Department of Technical Cooperation of Indecopi
INDECOPI
Calle La Prosa 138, San Borja
Lima 41
Peru
Email: mtrillo@indecopi.gob.pe
and mpierola@indecopi.gob.pe
In OECD:
OECD Programme on Regulatory Reform
Scott Jacobs
Tel: (331) 4524 9067
Former Head of Programme on Regulatory Reform
OECD
2, rue Andre Pascal
75775 Paris Cedex 16
France
Email: scott.jacobs@oecd.org
or jennifer.stein@oecd.org
An international conference hosted by the Government of Peru,
the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the APEC Secretariat
APEC-OECD Co-Operative Initiative on Regulatory Reform
FOUNDATIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE GROWTH:
PROGRESS AND CHALLENGES IN REGULATORY REFORM
21-22 February 2001, Singapore
Agreement for an APEC-OECD Co-operative Initiative on Regulatory Reform
was reached in June 2000 and was endorsed at the APEC Ministerial Meeting on
12-13 November 2000 in Brunei Darussalam. The joint APEC/OECD work on regulatory
reform will aim to promote the individual and collective implementation of the
APEC and the OECD principles by building domestic capacities for quality regulation.
A growing number of economies -- OECD and APEC alike -- have embarked in recent years on ambitious programmes to reduce regulatory burdens and improve the quality and cost?effectiveness of regulations that remain.
APEC is making significant collective and individual efforts to strengthen the functioning of markets in the region and to support economic recovery. APEC Ministers noted in November 2000 that strong markets within a supportive policy environment to ensure health, safety, and environmental quality are a necessary complement to trade and investment liberalisation and facilitation in the pursuit of sustained economic growth. The advent of the new economy has underscored the importance of efficient, competitive and dynamic markets.
Likewise, regulatory reform continues to accelerate throughout the OECD area, as market liberalisation deepens in many sectors, and as reform expands of public sector institutions. OECD Ministers have noted that these reforms can be effective steps to boost sectoral efficiency and innovation, enhance economy-wide flexibility and potential growth, increase consumer choice and welfare, and increase government effectiveness in maintaining high standards of environmental, consumer, and safety protections. Regulatory reforms have helped ease trade tensions by addressing behind-the-border impediments to international trade and investment. Regulatory reform also reduces the vulnerability of economies to external shocks, reducing the risk of economic crisis. Today, the basis for most reforms in the OECD area is the concept of �egulatory quality,�� based on competitive markets and a proactive role of good government in establishing effective, market-oriented regulatory and competition regimes and institutions, as well as social policies that efficiently achieve high standards of protection.
The opening Singapore conference on 21-22 February 2001 provides an opportunity
to update participants on major developments in regulatory reform, including
the principles guiding APEC and OECD work, and to discuss economy experiences
and medium-term challenges for regulatory reform. It is intended to promote
information exchange on the results of and best practices in regulatory reform,
and to improve transparency with respect to current progress on regulatory reform
in APEC and OECD economies. The conference will take note of the 1997 OECD principles
for regulatory reform, and the principles accepted by APEC heads of state in
September 1999, and examine how economies are implementing the principles through
building regulatory capacities suited to the domestic conditions of each economy.
The conference will also lay the groundwork for planning future workshops on
specific topics.
Working Programme for the Conference
Conference Chair: Margarita Trillo
21 February, 2001
|
|
| 8:45 - 9:30 |
Registration |
| 9:30 �� 10:30 |
Welcome and opening remarks 繚 Margarita Trillo, Convenor of the Competition Policy and Deregulation Group (CPDG), APEC and Head of Int. Relations and Technical Cooperation, INDECOPI (National Institute for the Defense of Competition and Protection of Intellectual Property), Peru 繚 Seiichi Kondo, Deputy Secretary-General, OECD |
| 10:30 �� 12:00 |
Session 1: Results of Regulatory Reform in APEC and OECD Economies A growing body of experience in APEC and OECD economies demonstrates that regulatory reform based on economic liberalisation and market opening can be a powerful tool to improve market functioning and strengthen the foundations for sustainable growth. In this session, speakers will discuss the major benefits and costs of regulatory reforms in APEC and OECD economies. 繚 Armando Cáceres, Chief of the Sectoral Reform Coordination Program, Ministry of Economics and Finance and former Convenor of the Competition Policy and Deregulation Group (CPDG), APEC -- The Regulatory Reform Process in the APEC Economies 繚 Scott H. Jacobs, CEO of Jacobs and Associates consultants and former Head of Programme on Regulatory Reform, OECD -- Growth, Flexibility, Protection: The Results of Regulatory Reform in OECD Countries 繚 Carlos Arce, President of the Mexican Federal Better Regulation Commission 繚 Robert Hahn, Director, American Enterprise Institute-Brookings Joint Center for Regulatory Studies, and Research Associate, Kennedy School, Harvard University -- Regulation and Regulatory Reform in the United States |
| 12:00 �� 13:30 Lunch |
|
| Session 2: Implementing regulatory reform in OECD and APEC economies With adoption of the 1999 APEC Principles to Enhance Competition and Regulatory Reform and the 1997 OECD Principles for Regulatory Reform, attention must now be placed on effective individual and collective implementation of regulatory reform. The next four sessions will examine how APEC and OECD economies are implementing these principles by building regulatory capacities suited to the domestic conditions of each economy. |
|
| 13:30 �� 15:15 |
Panel 1: Organising and sustaining a regulatory reform programme The challenges of regulatory reform are familiar. Vested interests in public and private sectors, fears of the consequences of change, and the complexity and uncertainty of reform in dynamic economic and social environments must be dealt with effectively if reform is to succeed. Framework principles can provide guidance to reformers. Skilful political leadership and drivers of reform inside governments can be strengthened to promote and co-ordinate reform programmes. Many economies have established dedicated bodies, such as the Regulatory Reform Committee in Korea, to underpin a continuing reform programme that helps national regulatory regimes adjust more quickly. Reform is not, however, a task only for governments -- other stakeholders such as businesses and workers have roles in building support for reform and in sharing information, and open communication with major stakeholders is essential. Managing economic change requires structural adjustment strategies including, where appropriate, development of social safety nets. Among the speakers will be: 繚 Steven Bailey, Senior Advisor, Ministry of Economic Development, New Zealand �� APEC-OECD Principles for Regulatory Reform �� A Comparison 繚 Daeyong Choi, Prime Minister� office, Government of Korea �� Regulatory Reform in Korea: Its Institutional Framework and Operation 繚 Roy Jones, Senior Policy Advisor, OECD Trade Union Advisory Committee �� From Seattle to Singapore - Civil Society and Regulatory Reform - Co-operation or Conflict? 繚 Luigi Carbone, Counsellor of State, Deputy Director of Regulatory Simplification Unit, Italy -- Organising a government wide programme of regulatory reform |
| 15:15 �� 15:30 Coffee and visits to document tables |
|
| 15:30 �� 17:30 |
Panel 2: Competition, consumers, and regulatory reform Competition policy is central to regulatory reform, because its principles and analysis provide a benchmark for assessing the economic effects of economic and social regulations. Moreover, as regulatory reform stimulates structural change, vigorous enforcement of competition law is needed to prevent private market abuses such as the abuse of market power from reversing the benefits of reform. Competition advocacy, the promotion of competitive market principles in governmental policy and regulatory processes, is a valuable complement to competition enforcement, and part of the strategy for sustaining regulatory reform. 繚 Frederic Jenny, Vice Chair, Conseil de la concurrence ( French Competition Authority) -- The role of regulatory reform in promoting competition and the role of competition authorities in regulatory reform 繚 David Parker, Competition Policy and Law Division, OECD Secretariat -- Competitive and dynamic markets: Integrating OECD's competition principles into regulatory reform 繚 Zainah Mohamed, Director, Research and Planning, Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, Malaysia -- Absence of Competition Policy and Competion Law |
22 February, 2001 |
|
| 9:30 �� 11:15 |
Panel 3: Regulation that achieves results at lowest cost Regulatory reform requires that the state improve its capacities to develop and implement high quality regulatory regimes that are consistent with competitive and open markets. In infrastructure sectors, effective and transparent regulatory bodies are needed to ensure a level playing field in the market and to provide confidence to investors and consumers alike. Efficient regulatory policies are necessary to protect consumer interests and public policies in areas such as environmental protection and safety. Governments should develop familiarity with a range of new tools that can improve regulatory effectiveness and reduce costs, while promoting innovation. In short, regulatory reform cannot succeed without accountable, market-friendly, and transparent government. Among the speakers will be: 繚 Visoot Phongsathorn, Project Officer, Regulatory Capacity Building Project, Thailand -- Thailand's Recent Experience in Streamlining its Regulatory Regimes. 繚 John Morrall, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Executive Office of the President, USA �� Regulatory Impact Analysis: Efficiency, Accountability, and Transparency 繚 Cesar Cordova Novion, Deputy Head of Programme on Regulatory Reform, OECD -- Simple, effective, transparent regulation: best practices in OECD countries |
| 11:15 �� 11:30 Coffee and visits to document tables |
|
| 11:30 �� 13:00 |
Panel 4: Regulatory Transparency and International Market Openness Regulatory reform based on market openness principles enables developing economies to participate more meaningfully in the globalised economy, because reducing regulatory barriers to trade and investment enables economies in a global economy to benefit more from comparative advantage and innovation. This also means that the costs of poor regulations increase in global markets. As traditional barriers to trade have been progressively dismantled, �ehind the border�� measures have become more relevant to effective market access, and national regulations are exposed to international scrutiny by trade and investment partners. International co-operation on trade and investment, such as regional integration initiatives, can also be powerful drivers to promote domestic reform. 繚 Li Li, Division Director, Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, China 繚 Anthony Kleitz, Head, Division of Trade Liberalisation and Review, OECD -- Experience and best practices in achieving regulatory efficiency and open markets 繚 R. Byron Sigel, Vice President and Director, Government Affairs, Goldman Sachs (Japan) Ltd. �� Promoting Fair and Transparent Regulation in Securities Markets |
| 13:00 �� 14:00 Lunch |
|
| 14:00 �� 15:45 |
Session 3: Promoting the information economy through regulatory reform E-commerce can create new economic opportunities in APEC and OECD areas. Regulatory reform can play an important role in establishing the policy and regulatory environment for development of e-commerce. In welcoming ongoing work on e-commerce in November 2000, APEC Ministers emphasized the need to make progress in capacity building, consumer protection, network security, favourable and compatible legal framework, and in the role of e-commerce in trade facilitation. APEC Ministers endorsed a work programme leading to favourable as well as compatible legal and regulatory frameworks for consumer protection, electronic transactions documents and signatures across APEC. But the role of regulatory reform in supporting the benefits of e-commerce goes far beyond the technical aspects of e-commerce. It is difficult to see how one can promote e-commerce without promoting competition and regulatory reform in basic telecommunication infrastructures, and in financial services, distribution, and government procurement. Even more broadly, the productivity increases from e-commerce are due to new business opportunities that arise only in a regulatory environment that is strongly in favour of competition and business creation. 繚 Valerie D'Costa, Director International, Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, Chair of the APEC Telecommunications Working Group 繚 Jennifer Bryant, Director, Office of Regulation Review, Productivity Commission, Australia -- Regulatory Transparency and Efficiency in the Communications Industry 繚 Douglas C. Worth, Secretary General of the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD �� Regulatory Quality, Competition, Innovation and Growth 繚 David N. Barnes, Vice President Government Programs, IBM Asia Pacific �� Improving APEC's e-commerce regulatory framework |
| 15:45 �� 16:00 Coffee and visits to document tables |
|
| 16:00 �� 17:30 |
Session 4: Looking ahead: Priorities for regulatory reform and the APEC-OECD Initiative 繚 Mari Pangestu, Deputy Coordinator, Trade Policy Forum, PECC and Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Jakarta. -- Towards a comprehensive competition framework in the Asia Pacific: synergies between regional fora and institutions. 繚 Steps to develop the APEC/OECD Co-operative Initiative in 2001-2002 - Margarita Trillo, CPDG Convenor, APEC - Rolf Alter, Head of Programme on Regulatory Reform, OECD |
| 17:30 |
Final statement by Conference Chair |