Competition Policy and Law Group

The APEC Competition Policy and Law Group (CPLG) contributes to the APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040 of building an open, dynamic, resilient and peaceful Asia-Pacific community by 2040, including by:

• Promoting understanding of regional competition laws and policies with the view to facilitating APEC activities
• Identifying areas for technical cooperation and capacity building among APEC member economies
• Promoting exchanges on experiences and best practices on competition policies and competition law enforcement and emerging issues 
• Building networks among competition agencies of member economies 
• Contribute to the work of the Economic Committee (in particular, the Enhanced APEC Agenda for Structural Reform)

CPLG’s activities include:

• Sharing information on developments on competition laws and policies in APEC member economies and identifying best practices
• Providing information to the public on the competition laws and policies and other relevant information for each APEC Member Economy through the APEC Competition Policy and Law Database
• Conducting policy dialogues and workshops and producing publications on existing and emerging issues relating to competition policies and competition law and enforcement
• Conducting technical cooperation and capacity building activities for APEC member economies
• Engaging in cross-fora collaboration and with relevant stakeholders, including the private sector and other international organizations

Last page update: August 2024

Contacts

Current Activities

In 2024 CPLG will focus on the following priorities:

• Supporting inclusive, resilient and sustainable participation of individuals with untapped economic potential in trade and investment in the APEC region through the application of competition policy and law  
• Taking advantage of digital transformation in promoting a fair and transparent environment for competition in APEC economies  
• Balancing promoting competition and maintaining sustainable development in designing and implementing competition laws and policies 
  

The CPLG held its most recent meeting on 2 March 2024, hosted by Peru.  APEC member economies engaged in a policy dialogue on Exploring the Link Between Competition and Gender. Members also discussed  the Economic Committee and CPLG synergies, including on how CPLG can contribute to the Enhanced APEC Agenda for Structural Reform.   Members also provided updates on developments in their respective competition policies and laws, including recent case examples; and provided updates on the ongoing CPLG workshops and capacity building projects. The OECD also presented on its initiatives relevant to the CPLG’s 2024 priorities.

Recent Capacity Building Projects

Recent Challenges to Merger Control and Anticompetitive Conducts Proceedings in Order to Protect the Competition Process
A workshop on Recent Challenges to Merger Control and Anticompetitive Conducts Proceedings in Order to Protect the Competition Process was held on 29 February-1 March 2024, led by Peru.  Participants shared experience and specific cases on the imposition of remedies and corrective measures and on challenges faced and elements to consider when applying structural and behavioural remedies. The workshop provided tools for competition agencies in facing anticompetitive conduct and served to establish new cooperation links between agencies to protect the competition process in APEC economies. Publication forthcoming.

Regulatory and Competition Challenges in Digital Markets
A workshop on Regulatory and Competition Challenges in Digital Markets was held on 27-28 February 2024, led by Peru. The workshop facilitated a discussion amongst member economies, regulators and competition authorities on experiences relating to digital markets. Members covered topics including whether digital markets should be regulated ex ante, the interplay between sector regulators and competition authorities, international cooperation to achieve regulatory coherence, and the types of regulatory measures used to prevent anti-competitive conduct in digital markets. A key takeaway was the importance of considering not only competition but also consumer protection and data privacy issues in the digital market context. Participants indicated they could use the tools concepts discussed to develop new policies in their own economies. Publication forthcoming.

Effective and Efficient Competition Litigation and Regulatory Advocacy
A Capacity-Building Workshop on Effective and Efficient Competition Litigation and Regulatory Advocacy was held on 21-22 February 2023 and led by the United States. The objectives were to enhance competition agencies’ enforcement capacity and enhance the understanding of strategies for effective and efficient competition litigation, regulatory advocacy, and agency resource prioritization and management.

Competition Policy and Sustainable Development
A workshop on Competition Policy and Sustainable Development, led by Thailand was held in Bangkok (and online) on 9 November 2022.  The workshop explored the intersection between sustainable development and competition policy. The project identified obstacles and best practices in aligning competition policy to support sustainable development.  Refer to the publication on Competition Policy and Sustainable Development.

Competition Policy - A Driver for Economic Recovery
A Capacity-Building Workshop on Effective and Efficient Competition Litigation and Regulatory Advocacy, led by Mexico, took place virtually on 12-13 October 2022.  Officials from competition agencies of Asia-Pacific shared their experiences on the following areas: 1) advocacy efforts to support governments in the design, implementation and withdrawal of government support strategies required in the short-run; 2) the use of enforcement powers to address anticompetitive agreements, exclusionary abuses, and excessive pricing in strategic sectors affected by the pandemic; 3) how competition authorities have addressed the challenges posed by economic uncertainty in enforcing their merger control powers; and 4) investments they have made to increase their expertise and data collection capabilities on crisis-affected sectors. The resulting report presents policy and best practice recommendations that could be implemented by APEC economies. Refer to the publication on Competition Policy: A Driver for Economic Recovery in the APEC Region.

Competition Law and Regulation in Digital Markets
The CPLG hosted a workshop led by New Zealand on competition law and regulation in digital markets on 7 and 9 September 2021. The event helped develop a better understanding of the interplay between competition law, consumer protection, privacy and personal data protection when considering issues relating to digital platforms and the digital economy. It also helped increase understanding of how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the digital economy, the economic opportunities presented for growth, and the challenges for competition and regulatory agencies. Refer to the report for the detailed recommendations. Refer to the publication on Competition Law and Regulation in Digital Markets.

Background

The CPLG, formerly known as Competition Policy and Deregulation Group, was established in 1996, when the Osaka Action Agenda (OAA) work programs on competition policy and deregulation were combined. In 1999, APEC ministers endorsed the APEC Principles to Enhance Competition and Regulatory Reform and approved a road map which established the basis for subsequent work on strengthening markets in the region. In 2008, APEC members agreed to change the name of the group to the Competition Policy and Law Group to reflect the fact that regulatory aspects of competition are now being discussed within the framework of the Economic Committee.

The CPLG is established as a group under the APEC Economic Committee. The CPLG meets annually and comprises officials from agencies that cover competition law enforcement or competition policy in all APEC member economies.