Background
Competition agencies or regulators cannot stand alone to ride the wave of changes. It needs its relevant stakeholders to jointly assist them along the way, and that included the world of academics. However, the problem is, there has been a slow growth of expertise in competition policy and law in East Asia. For the past decade, there has been no forum for the academic to get together and discuss their recent works or studies in competition policy and law. It makes the development in the number of a new expert in competition law in the region isalso moving at a slow pace.
The world of education plays a significant part in economic development. First, by conducting policy analysis and sectoral research to provide reliable input to policymakers. Second, by creating a better generation through human development. Such application also works in the area of competition policy and law, whereas the world of academia is an the engine of changes for supporting the development of competition policy and a law study of a nation or a region. The world of the future is a very rapidly changing world, in order to take advantage of the dynamics wave of changes, it requires a fast perceptual ability to all changes, so that it did not drift in the flow of change. That is why the study of competition policy and the law shall able to catch up with such robustdevelopment.
In response to the problems, the 13th East Asia Top Level Meeting on Competition Policy and Law (EATOP/EAC) which had been held in Bali in September 2017 took the initiative to encourage the establishment of Academic Network in the field of Competition Policy and Law. It is hoped that The East Asia Academic Network on Competition Policy and Law (EANCP) will play the role of collaborating advance research and broadening network among themselves and with the regulator with the main the objective of improving or developing knowledge hub and expertise in competition policy and law in East Asia. It is hoped that the network of would also serve the needs of theoretical and practical convergence to address competition problems in the region.
Objectives
The network will aim at improving the number of study or research in competition policy and law, as well as join hand with the competition agencies or regulators to build expertise in the competition area of both competition agency and university. In specific, the AcademicNetwork on Competition Policy and Law in East Asia will serveas: ● Communication forum for academics in competition law and policy in regional scope; ● A forum for joint academic activities on competition issues (research, study, seminar, FGD, workshop,discussion, training, etc); ● Experience sharing and resourcesharing between academics; ● Providing expertise pool oncompetition in East Asia Region; ● Providing virtual platformfor resource sharing and communication.|
Organization
The network will consist of academics in competition policy and law from universities in East Asia, in which: ● The network shall be managed by academics, with appropriate supports from the competitionagencies. ● The network will establish a virtual secretariat. The organization of the secretariat will consist of academics and representatives of competition authorities. The Chairperson of the secretariat is selected biennially. The secretariat may consist of working groups on dedicated areas. The coordinator and secretariat office is selected annually. The elected authority will host an EANCP seminar as a back-to-back event with the EATOP meeting each year. The proposed structure is as Annex 1. ● At the initial stage, it is hoped that ASEAN competition agencies or regulators will assist the network to build and expand. It needs a founder to establish the term of organization which consists of 2 or 3 academia from the recommended member by competition authorities.
Membership
● Experts/academia recommended by the competition authority inEast Asia. ● Academic or researcher in East Asia who has an interest in competition policy and law.
The list of current members of EANCP can be seen by clicking this following link: Members of EANCP
Activities
The network’s activities will include hosting an annual meeting back-to-back with the EATOP/EAC, publishing e-newsletter, create and managing a web portal, conduct research in competition, and regular discussion session by teleconference. In detail, the activity consistsof several objectives:
● Research to support competition law enforcement (e.g merger review, investigation, etc), prevention programs, policy analysis,and advocacy; ● Development of curricula to support competition law and policy teaching in school and higher education; ● Training forprofessional in ‘competition industry’; ● Knowledge hubdevelopment; ● Expertise and experts development; ● Managingvirtual platform of the network; ● Other relevant activities.
Funding
Upon the establishment, the network may generate its own funding in hosting events, and or get support from competition agencies or regulators, or potential international development partners whoshare their common interest.
Note:
● Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson are appointed by the member of the network. ● Advisory Board consists of competition experts in providing strategic directions tothe network on their program and activities. ● Secretariat will be responsible to do the daily activities of the network and facilitate reports on activities under the network. ● WG on Economic Analysis will responsible to conduct economic-related analysisand research. ● WG on Legal Analysis will responsible to conduct legal-related analysis and research. ● WG on Outreach will be responsible to conduct dissemination activities (training, workshops, seminars/conferences, web portal, and e-newsletter).