2008 International Technical Assistance Workshop: Charting the Future Course of International Technical Assistance at the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission

Posted by D. Daniel Sokol

The Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission plan to host a one-day workshop on international technical assistance titled  2008 International Technical Assistance Workshop: Charting the Future Course of International Technical Assistance at the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission. The workshop is open to the public.

Date: The workshop will take place on Wednesday, February 6, 2008.           

Location: The workshop will be held at the Federal Trade Commission Conference Center, 601 New Jersey Avenue NW, Washington, DC.

Report: The Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission intend to produce a report after the workshop, taking into account written submissions, discussion and comments made during the workshop, and other public sources of information.

Contact: For more information, contact the Antitrust Division by e-mail at 2008TechAssistWorkshop@usdoj.gov or by telephone at 202-514-2488.

Agenda:

8:30 a.m. Welcome and Introduction

Deborah Platt Majoras, Chairman, Federal Trade Commission

Thomas O. Barnett, Assistant Attorney General, Antitrust Division

   

9:00 a.m. The DOJ-FTC Technical Assistance Program, 1990-2007: Reviewing the First Two Decades

For nearly two decades, the FTC and DOJ have promoted market competition around the world by providing technical assistance, primarily with USAID funding, to new competition agencies and to countries in the process of reforming their markets and adopting competition laws. The agencies have conducted approximately 400 missions to scores of countries on short-term trips and multimonth advisory missions. FTC and DOJ representatives will describe the how the program works, share their varied experiences with competition agencies worldwide, and discuss how to maximize the effectiveness of technical assistance. Competition officials from several countries will discuss technical assistance from the perspective of a recipient and offer valuable suggestions for making the program even better.

Moderator:

Anne Purcell White, Assistant Chief, Foreign Commerce Section, Antitrust Division

Panelists:

Timothy T. Hughes, Counsel for International Technical Assistance, Office of International Affairs, FTC

Craig Conrath, Trial Attorney, Antitrust Division

Elizabeth Schneirov, Bureau of Economics, FTC

Graciela Ortiz, President, Indecopi (Lima, Peru)

Csaba Kovacs, Head of Competition Policy Section, Hungarian Competition Authority

 

10:30 a.m. Break

 

10:45 a.m.  The Expanding Role of Consumer Protection in Developing Legal and Economic Policies Through Technical Assistance

For over a decade, the FTC has provided technical assistance in a variety of topics, to a variety of nations, in a variety of formats. Topics have included institution building, components of effective consumer protection systems, advertising regulation, electronic commerce, and consumer credit. The FTC has delivered this assistance through resident advisors, short-term missions, seminars at international meetings, study tours in the United States, and bilateral contacts (telephone and videoconference). The FTC has also attempted to facilitate the role of other U.S. government consumer agencies in rounding out the assistance effort.

Moderator:
Hugh Stevenson, Deputy Director for Consumer Protection, Office of International Affairs, FTC

Panelists:

Russell Damtoft, Associate Director, Office of International Affairs, FTC

Pablo Zylberglait, Counsel for International Consumer Protection, FTC

Rich O'Brien, Head of International Programs, Consumer Product Safety Commission

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Representative 

11:45 a.m. World Experience in Delivering Technical Assistance

The DOJ and the FTC have not been alone in thinking about how to most effectively deliver technical assistance to newer competition agencies. The International Competition Network has engaged in a significant project to identify what works well and what does not. Several academic researchers have studied the problem, as has the World Bank and other multilateral organizations. The OECD Competition Committee has provided a unique form of technical assistance around the globe for years. In addition, development agencies from several other jurisdictions fund significant technical assistance efforts. This session will tap into these resources to explore what can be learned from these institutions.

Moderator:

Russell Pittman, Director of Technical Assistance and Economic Research, Antitrust Division

Panelists:

Shyam Khemani, Advisor, Competition Policy, World Bank

Edward Whitehorn, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)

Alberto Heimler, Central Director for Research and International Affairs, Italian Competition Authority

Anne Purcell White, Assistant Chief, Foreign Commerce Section, Antitrust Division

 

12:45 p.m.  Lunch (provided)

 

1:45 p.m. Perspectives on Antitrust Technical Assistance Needs Across the Globe

In order to optimize agency technical assistance programs, it is first important to understand the primary needs of new agencies and developing economies in the area of competition law and policy. This panel will provide a variety of perspectives on what the greatest needs are overseas, and on how DOJ and FTC can design their missions to best to address those needs. Specific topics to be addressed will include how antitrust technical assistance contributes to economic growth and development, what technical assistance needs are going unmet, setting priorities for technical assistance, the extent to which the needs of a competition agency vary with level of development, and the role of the private sector and other donors in technical assistance. 

Moderator:

Russell Damtoft, Associate Director, Office of International Affairs, FTC

Panelists:

Stan Anderson, Senior Counsel to the President, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Eleanor M. Fox, Professor, New York University School of Law

James F. Rill, Partner, Howrey LLP

Nicholas S. Klissas, Senior Commercial Law Reform Advisor, USAID Foreign Agency Representative

Russell Pittman, Director of Technical Assistance and Economic Research, Antitrust Division

 

3:00 p.m. Break 

   

3:15 p.m.  Moving Forward: Technical Assistance for the 21st Century

This final interactive roundtable will draw on the wisdom of experts with a variety of perspectives, as well as the rest of the day's discussions, to chart out a course for making future technical assistance missions even more effective. The panel will be moderated by FTC Commissioner Kovacic who will not only share his extensive experience with antitrust technical assistance, but will also aim to develop concrete recommendations that can be implemented by the DOJ and FTC as they design missions to promote competition law and policy in ever farther corners of the globe.

Moderator:

William E. Kovacic, Commissioner, FTC

Panelists:

Andreas Reindl, Adjunct Professor of Law, Fordham Law School

Daniel Sokol, Visiting Associate Professor of Law, University of Missouri School of Law

Mark Whitener, Senior Counsel, Competition Law and Policy, General Electric Company

Georges Korsun, Deloitte Financial Advisory Services, LLP Consumer Protection Expert