HANOI RESOURCE CENTRE

Consumer sovereignty in the framework of social justice, economic equality and environmental balance, within and across borders

2009 mid-year conference of the Asian Competition Forum

Hanoi, 26th May 2009

The 2009 mid-year conference of the Asian Competition Forum (www.asiancompetitionforum.org) is organised in Hanoi, Vietnam on the 26th of May 2009. The conference will be hosted by the Vietnamese Competition Council (VCC) in collaboration with the Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS), Hanoi Resource Centre. The theme of this conference is “Effects of Anti-competitive Activities in Small and Developing Economies”.

The conference bring together government officials at ministerial level, international experts, scholars, embassies and development cooperation agencies, law firms, enterprise community both from locals and overseas.

The presentations encompass a wide spectrum of topical issues to small and developing economies such as international cartels and their effects, competition law enforcement by on international cartels and agreements, domestic monopolistic practices, transnational mergers and acquisition, the effects of foreign acquisitions of domestic firms, domestic restrictive agreements.

The conference this time is organized in Vietnam with hopes of attracting more consideration from public mass, relevant ministries and agencies, Vietnamese officials and intellectuals, foreign organization and embassies working in Vietnam as well as the press on Competition Law and different aspects of Competition Law.

The venue is Melia Hotel, 44B Ly Thuong Kiet, Hanoi, Vietnam.

* About co-organizers:

Vietnam Competition Council (VCC) is an independence law enforcement agency, established by the Government on the 9th of January 2006 for better implementation of Competition Law. VCC’s main function is to consider and deal with anti-competition practices, such as, competition restriction agreement, abusing dominant position on the market; abusing monopoly position, economic concentration, etc. The VCC has the authority to organizes the handling of affairs related to anti-competition practices; to establish an ad-hoc Committee for resolving a concrete competition case; to decide on apportion, change, abolishment of administrative prevention measures after receiving a file of cn case as stipulated by law; to handle complaints, denouncements against competition casesompetitio related to restrictive competition acts as stipulated by law. VCC consists olicf 11 to 15 members who are appointed and dismissed by the Prime Minister. The Secretariat of VCC assists VCC in carrying out its responsibilities.

The Asian Competition Forum (ACF) was founded on the 11th of December 2005 by a group of academics in Law and Economics and experts in Competition Law in Asia Pacific region. This overall objective of the non-profit making organization is to promote economic competition through research and study of Law and Economics by means of teaching & training courses, conferences & seminars, publications and production of teaching materials.

The Asian Competition Forum (ACF) has been established with the following objectives:
  1. To promote market-based solutions to economic problems through the enhancement of competition;
  2. To conduct research into competition policy and law issues;
  3. To propose the adoption of appropriate policy and legal strategies for the Asian regional and national markets;
  4. To provide competition policy and legal education and training for government officials, professionals, academics and students through the use of conferences, seminars and other traditional as well as multimedia channels;
  5. To hold conferences to debate competition policy and legal issues regionally both in conjunction with the Asian Law Institute (ASLI) and independently.
  6. To publish research findings and other material via (i) a dedicated web site, (ii) an in-house publication, (iii) in academic and professional journals as well as through (iv) the popular media;
  7. To create and provide dedicated competition teaching materials and courses involving a cross-disciplinary approach to include economics, law and public policy perspectives which might lead to academic awards or not;
  8. To obtain accreditation of courses, seminars and conferences for continuing professional development purposes from professional organizations such as national Bar Associations and other national and regional bodies.

CUTS Hanoi Resource Centre (CUTS HRC) is a member of Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS International), an international research, advocacy and networking group headquartered in India. CUTS HRC was officially launched in February 2008 with the most objective is to work as a catalyst in transferring objective knowledge and advocacy skills from India and elsewhere to the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) countries towards mainstreaming the civil society movement into the development process. Areas of priority of CUTS HRC’s research and advocacy activities include: public policy reforms, sustainable development and poverty reduction, and development of the civil society movement in the GMS.

For further Information:

www.hoidongcanhtranh.vn, www.cuts-international.org/hrc