Competition Policy

OBJECTIVE

No Change

GUIDELINES

Each APEC economy will:

a) review its respective competition policy and/or laws and the enforcement thereof taking into account the "APEC Principles to Enhance Competition and Regulatory Reform";

b) enforce competition policies and/or laws to ensure protection of the competitive process and promotion of consumer welfare, innovation, economic efficiency and open markets;

c) disclose any pro-competitive efforts undertaken (e.g. enactment of competition laws, whether comprehensive or sectoral);

d) implement as appropriate technical assistance in regard to policy development, legislative drafting, and the constitution, powers and functions of appropriate enforcement agencies; and

e) establish appropriate cooperation arrangements with other APEC economies.

COLLECTIVE ACTIONS

APEC economies will:

a. gather information and promote dialogue on and study;

(i) the objectives, necessity, role and operation of each APEC economy's competition policy and/or laws and administrative procedures, thereby establishing a database on competition policy;

(ii) competition policy issues that impact on trade and investment flows in the Asia-Pacific region;

(iii) exemptions and exceptions from the coverage of each APEC economy's competition policy and/or laws in an effort to ensure that each is no broader than necessary to achieve a legitimate and explicitly identified objective;

(iv) areas for technical assistance and the modalities thereof, including exchange and training programmes for officials in charge of competition policy, taking into account the availability of resources; and

(v) the inter-relationship between competition policy and/or laws and other policies related to trade and investment;

b. deepen competition policy dialogue between APEC economies and relevant international organizations;

c. continue to develop understanding in the APEC business community of competition policy and/or laws and administrative procedures;

d. continue to develop an understanding of competition policies and/or laws within their respective governments and within relevant domestic constituencies, thereby fostering a culture of competition;

e. encourage cooperation among the competition authorities of APEC economies with regard to information exchange, notification and consultation;

f. contribute to the use of trade and competition laws, policies and measures that promote free and open trade, investment and competition; and

g. encourage all APEC economies to implement the "APEC Principles to Enhance Competition and Regulatory Reform; and

h. undertake capacity building programs to assist economies in implementing the "APEC Principles to Enhance Competition and Regulatory Reform".

Workshop on Competition Policy and Deregulation (CPD)
Submission to CTI on the Review of OAA

Deregulation/Regulatory Review
add "and Reform" at the end of title

OBJECTIVE

APEC economies will facilitate free and open trade and investment in the Asia Pacific Region by inter alia:

a) enhancing the transparency of regulatory regimes; and

b) eliminating domestic regulations that may distort or restrict trade, investment or competition and are not necessary to achieve a legitimate objective.

To add GUIDELINES

Each APEC economy will:

a) explore economy wide processes for the transparent and accountable identification and review of domestic regulations that may distort or restrict trade, investment or competition;

b) consider the adoption of regulatory reform to reduce those distortions and their resulting costs, whilst maintaining the achievement of legitimate objectives; and

c) promote the consideration of competition policy in regulatory reform.

COLLECTIVE ACTION

No change