ASEAN starts to engage discussion on cross-border competition enforcement.

KPPU hosted a training session for case handlers from ASEAN countries on 22-25 August 2017 in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. The activity names, Training Course on Improving Regional Engagement in Competition Enforcement between ASEAN and Japan, was aimed at raising discussion and awareness by ASEAN member states to start to think about cross border cases among member states, and how to deal with challenges which derived from its diversity. The training course was conducted in cooperation with Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) under the Japan-ASEAN Integrations Fund Program.

The training mainly discussed cartel behavior through the application of theory and practices. It started with an underlying foundation of competition law in ASEAN, especially on its challenges in diversity, which lead ASEAN to start discussing their initiative for a regional cooperation framework in moving toward regional cooperation framework in competition. Then it continued by a systematic ruling about cross border issues like the market definition, scope of dominance, merger regime, and exemption. By most of the time, the participant also benefitted through a hypothetical scenario prepared by enforcement specialists, Ms. Dinnie Melanie and Ms. Riris Munadiya.

Presented perspectives at the training course were Professor Koki Arai from the Shumei University Japan and Dr. Paramitha Prananingtyas from the University of Diponegoro Indonesia. Including knowledge from JFTC and ASEAN through several experts and presenters which involved at the activity.

The training course by the end has provided real life experience how cooperation in competition enforcement will take place in ASEAN in the future. This is important to set a landmark for future discussion on a specific aspect of competition law which should be promoted in the sense of moving toward effective enforcement cooperation.