A key agenda item of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Competition Law and Policy (IGE) will be consultations among Governments on two issues: (1) the interface between competition policy and industrial policy; and (2) the optimal design and implementation of competition law in developing countries, including the desirability of a phased approach.
The IGE is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Set of Multilaterally Agreed Equitable Principles and Rules for the Control of Restrictive Business Practices, a set of recommendations relevant to competition policy adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1980. It provides expert advice to help guide the work of UNCTAD in this field, which focuses on institutional capacity-building; competition advocacy and educating the public; studies on competition, competitiveness and development; and inputs into possible international agreements on competition. Meeting annually, the IGE reports to the Commission on Investment, Technology and Related Financial Issues.
The IGE will also be considering several UNCTAD documents on questions including the following:
- the relationship between competition, competitiveness and development
- a revised model law on competition
- experiences to date with international cooperation on competition policy and the mechanisms used
- the roles of possible dispute mediation mechanisms and alternative arrangements, including voluntary peer reviews, in competition laws and policies
- important competition cases in developing countries
- technical assistance and advisory and training programmes in this area
- a handbook issue containing the competition laws, with commentaries, of Lithuania, Malawi and Zimbabwe
- an updated directory of competition authorities
Based on its deliberations, the IGE is expected to adopt agreed conclusions relating to these issues and documents.
