JAKARTA, 24 June 2021 - The 9^th ASEAN Competition Conference (ACC) will be held from 1-2 December in Hanoi, Viet Nam with the theme “Safeguarding competition - A post pandemic response of ASEAN competition authorities.”

The conference is expected to provide a platform of discussion on the roles and contribution of competition policy in the economic recovery. A hybrid mode will be made available for participants to join face-to-face in Hanoi or through an online platform.

The ACC has been a platform for ASEAN and relevant stakeholders to network, share best practices and discuss emerging issues on competition policy and law  in the region since 2011. The theme of this year’s ACC is timely considering the pandemic has impacted ASEAN economies since the start of last year.

ASEAN efforts to recover from the economic impact of the pandemic is stipulated under the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework (ACRF). The conference will discuss the implications of COVID-19 to ASEAN markets and the importance of the role of competition in the economic recovery. It continues the ASEAN Experts Group on Competition (AEGC) efforts to strengthen cooperation among Member States following the issuance of the Joint Statement in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. 

The following sub-themes will be covered at the 9^th ACC:

• (i) Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic to ASEAN Markets;
• (ii) maintaining Business Compliance;
• (iii) increasing Importance of Competition Policy for MSMEs in the Post-Pandemic Era;
• (iv) the Rapid Shift towards the Digital Economy and the Risk to Competition Enforcement; and
• (v) strengthening Cooperation in Anticipation of Future Crisis.

 

Competition authorities, regulatory and other government agencies, legal practitioners, related international organisations, consumer associations and other interested stakeholders are encouraged to participate. Registrations can be made through this link.

In anticipation of the Conference, the ‘AANZFTA Competition Law Call for Papers’ will be launched in June 2021, calling for paper submissions from residents, professionals, and/or nationals of the AANZFTA region. The winners will be invited to present their papers at the 9^th ACC. Interested contestants can submit their papers based on the above five sub-themes. This Call for Papers is facilitated by the ASEAN Secretariat and the AANZFTA CLIP IV Project team.

For more information on the essay contest, please visit the AEGC, the Virtual ASEAN Competition Research Center, and the AANZFTA websites.

The 9^th ACC is hosted by the Viet Nam Competition and Consumer Commission and co-organised together with the AEGC, the ASEAN Secretariat, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH, upon commission of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area Economic Cooperation Support Programme (AECSP).