Programme of the first meeting of the APEC-OECD Co-operative Initiative on Regulatory Reform 21-22 February 2001, Singapore

First meeting of the APEC-OECD Co-operative Initiative on Regulatory Reform 21-22 February 2001, Singapore

Registration

Welcome and opening remarks

• 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

• Seiichi Kondo, Deputy Secretary-General, OECD

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.

• 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

• 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

• Carlos Arce, President of the Mexican Federal Better Regulation Commission. See also Powerpoint presentation.

• 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

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.

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:

• Steven Bailey, Senior Advisor, Ministry of Economic Development, New Zealand -- APEC-OECD Principles for Regulatory Reform -- A Comparison

• Daeyong Choi, Prime Minister's office, Government of Korea Regulatory Reform in Korea: Its Institutional Framework and Operation

• Roy Jones, Senior Policy Advisor, OECD Trade Union Advisory Committee From Seattle to Singapore - Civil Society and Regulatory Reform - Co-operation or Conflict?

• Luigi Carbone, Counsellor of State, Deputy Director of Regulatory Simplification Unit, Italy -- Organising a government wide programme of regulatory reform

Coffee and visits to document tables

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.

• 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

• David Parker, Competition Policy and Law Division, OECD Secretariat -- Competitive and dynamic markets: Integrating OECD's competition principles into regulatory reform. See also Powerpoint presentation.

• Zainah Mohamed, Director, Research and Planning, Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, Malaysia -- Absence of Competition Policy and Competion Law

22 February, 2001

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:

• Visoot Phongsathorn, Project Officer, Regulatory Capacity Building Project, Thailand -- Thailand's Recent Experience in Streamlining its Regulatory Regimes.

• John Morrall, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Executive Office of the President, USA -- Regulatory Impact Analysis: Efficiency, Accountability, and Transparency

• Cesar Cordova Novion, Deputy Head of Programme on Regulatory Reform: Simple, effective, transparent regulation: best practices in OECD countries

Coffee and visits to document tables

OECD -- 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, --behind 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.

• Li Li, Division Director, Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, China

• Anthony Kleitz, Head, Division of Trade Liberalisation and Review, OECD -- Experience and best practices in achieving regulatory efficiency and open markets

• R. Byron Sigel, Vice President and Director, Government Affairs, Goldman Sachs (Japan) Ltd. -- Promoting Fair and Transparent Regulation in Securities Markets also availble in Powerpoint Lunch

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.

• Valerie D'Costa, Director International, Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, Chair of the APEC Telecommunications Working Group

• Jennifer Bryant, Director, Office of Regulation Review, Productivity Commission, Australia -- Regulatory Transparency and Efficiency in the Communications Industry

• Douglas C. Worth, Secretary General of the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD Regulatory Quality, Competition, Innovation and Growth

• David N. Barnes, Vice President Government Programs, IBM Asia Pacific -- Improving APEC's e-commerce regulatory framework

Coffee and visits to document tables

Session 4: Looking ahead: Priorities for regulatory reform and the APEC-OECD Initiative

• 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.

• Steps to develop the APEC/OECD Co-operative Initiative in 2001-2002
  - Margarita Trillo, CPDG convenor
  - Rolf Alter, Head of Programme on Regulatory Reform, OECD

Final statement by Conference Chair