BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: The Asean Experts Group on Competition (AEGC) convened its 10th meeting yesterday, at a hotel in Gadong, according to a press release from the Department of Economic Planning and Development ( JPKE), Prime Minister’s Office, Borneo Bulletin reported.
The two-day meeting is attended by representatives of authorities and agencies responsible for competition policies from the 10 Asean member states and the Asean Secretariat.
It is chaired by Awg Hj Amer Hamzah bin Pehin Orang Kaya Amar Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia. Awg Hj Zakaria, Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office.
Brunei Darussalam is represented by officials from the Prime Minister’s Office as well as from the Department of Economic Planning and Development.
The 10th AEGC Meeting was to discuss the progress of the implementation of the Asean Economic Blueprint and the Strategic Schedule on Competition Policy under the AEC Blueprint; as well as on the developments of completed and ongoing projects and activities under the AEGC.
These include the Asean-GIZ Project on Competition Policy and Law, which will look into coordinating national-level activities for respective Asean member states; the Work Group on Developing Regional Core Competencies on Competition Policy and Law which will develop a manual on the required core competencies for competition policy and law; and the Work Group on Developing Tools and Strategy for Regional Advocacy on Competition Policy and Law, which will work towards developing the necessary tools and strategy for advocating competition policy at the national and regional level.
Brunei Darussalam holds the current chairmanship for the Asean Experts Group on Competition for the period 2012/2013. The next chairmanship of the AEGC in 2013/2014 will be taken up by the Philippines.
At the 12th Asean Summit in January 2007, the leaders affIrmed their strong commitment to accelerate the establishment of an Asean Community by 2015 as envisioned in the Asean Vision 2020 and the Asean Concord II, and signed the Cebu Declaration on the Acceleration of the Establishment of an Asean Community by 2015.
The leaders agreed to hasten the establishment of the Asean Economic Community by 2015 and to transform Asean into a region with free movement of goods, services, investment, skilled labour, and freer flow of capital.
Competition Policy has been identified as one of the pillars under the Asean Economic Community (AEC) Blueprint that would be strengthened towards the building of a competitive economic region and to deepen economic integration within the Asean region.
Competition Policy and Law (CPL) is essential to economic integration since it can foster the creation of a fair business environment and removal of market failures, among others. Understanding the important role of CPL in the region, the Asean leaders agreed to endeavour to introduce competition policy in all Asean member states by 2015.
To date, only Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia have such laws and authorities while the remaining Asean member states rely on sectoral level policies and regulations to achieve competition policy objectives but are also in the process of drafting competition laws for their respective economy.
Endorsed by the Asean Economic Ministers at the 391h AEM Meeting in August 2007, the Asean Experts Group on Competition (AEGC) was established as a regional forum for discussing and coordinating competition policies with the goal of promoting a healthy competitive environment in the Asean region.
Asa formal Asean sectoral body, AEGC aims to develop competition policy through. exchange of information, networking, and policy dialogue. AEGC also promotes policy awareness, develops regional guideline, and facilitates discussion on regional position for competition policy chapter in Asean FTA negotiations.