February 2008 Stocktake of Structural Reform Activities in Apec

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2010/SOM1/EC/015

Agenda Item: 6

Stocktake of Structural Reform Activities in APEC

Purpose: Information

Submitted by: APEC Secretariat

Forum Doc No: 2009/SOM2/EC/027

/ First Economic Committee Meeting
Hiroshima, Japan
26-27 February 2010

STOCKTAKE OF STRUCTURAL REFORM ACTIVITIES IN APEC (Draft as at 5 February 2010)

REGULATORY REFORM

ACTIVITIES / (EXPECTED) KEY OUTCOMES / APEC FORA / OTHER STRUCTURAL REFORM AREA (IF RELEVANT) / STATUS
APEC Seminar on Utilizing the “APEC-OECD Integrated Checklist on Regulatory Reform” in the Competition Policy and Deregulation Aspects (CTI 05/2007T) (repeated under Competition Policy) / -Deepened understanding of the Checklist as a tool to help implement an effective and high quality regulatory policy and competition policy.
-Exchange of experiences and expertise in utilizing the Checklist and its effects on the regulatory reform process from the point of view of competition policy.
-Development of recommendations on possible concrete actions related to the utilization of the Checklist for policy harmonization between competition policy and regulatory policy. / CPDG / Regulatory reform / Completed - held on 13-15 June 2007 in Jakarta
APEC Seminar for Sharing Experience in APEC Economies on Relations between Competition Authorities and Regulator Bodies (CTI 13/2008T) (repeated under Competition Policy) / -Deepened understanding of the principles contained in the APEC-OECD Checklist on Regulatory Reform, especially with regard to the relationship between Competition Authorities and Sector Regulator Authorities, and how the principles can be used as a tool to implement effective and high quality regulatory and competition policies. / CPDG / Competition policy / Completed – held on 11-13 June 2008 in Bali, Indonesia
ICT Enabled-Growth Initiative (Ref. 2007/SOM1/ECSG/015) / -Regulatory, policy and legal environments across key sectors of the economy to be developed in ways that better position them to benefit from the information economy and to better utilize information and communication technologies.
-Access enabled to the key elements of growth (the 5 “I”s – Information Flows, Infrastructure, Intellectual Capital, Investment, Innovation) by providing policy architects with a framework of checklists and guidance documents, developed by APEC fora in consultation with the private sector, that would assist them in designing sector-specific policies that enhance the uptake and effectiveness of ICT in key sectors of the economy. / ECSG / N/A / In progress
Measuring the Ease of Doing Business in APEC (EC 03/2008T) / -Use evidence-based analysis to raise awareness of the regulatory burden of the current operating regimes for firms and highlight the status of regulatory reform in APEC member economies.
-Encourage APEC member economies to reduce behind-the-border impediments to doing business and liberalize these regulatory regimes even more. / EC / Completed. Final report from World Bank endorsed by EC in Jun 2009.
Seminar on Best Practices in Regulation and Promotion of Efficiency in Transport Infrastructure Facilities (EC 02/2008T- repeated under Competition Policy) / -Exchange experiences in regulatory and competition policy issues related to transport infrastructure in APEC Economies.
-Identify best practices on regulatory issues in transport infrastructure, including incentives regimes, contract regulation, pricing, regulatory mechanics for access to infrastructure, types of regulation (rate of return, price cap, efficiency model), quality supervision, market deregulation and efficiency measurement.
-Identify possible activities for promoting further improvements in transport infrastructure regulation and efficiency in the region, including capacity and institutional building activities and trade competitiveness. / EC / Competition Policy / Completed, held at SOM 3, 15-16 August 2008 in Lima
Doing Business — Investment at the Sub-National Level to Promote Economic Integration (Phase 1)
CTI 35/2008T / -The immediate output of this project will be detailed information on three case studies where APEC member economies have successfully used the World Bank’s Doing Business indicators at the sub-national level to develop strategies to reduce impediments to investment that can inform the significance of an approach to investment reform that encourages a domestic integration focus,
-The lessons drawn from the case studies will then contribute to an understanding of the significance of domestic to regional economic integration. / IEG / Completed.
Two case studies reports were approved by IEG in January 2010 and to be publicized later
CapacityBuilding for Sharing Success Factors of Improvement of Investment Environment (repeated under SELI)
CTI 32/2008T / -To provide capacity building to enhance the abilities of government officials to plan, develop and implement policies concerning international investment rules, investment-related laws and regulations, and other important areas.
-To introduce successful experiences of APEC economies which have increased foreign investment through specific efforts such as investment liberalization, facilitation and promotion in the APEC region through identifying key success factors for increasing foreign investment in APEC members / IEG / SELI / Completed held on 15-16 August 2008 in Lima
CapacityBuilding for Sharing Success Factors of Improvement of Investment Environment – Phase 2 (repeated under SELI)
(CTI 02/2009T) / -To provide capacity buildingthrough introduction of successful experiences of APEC economies to enhance the abilities of government officials to plan, develop and implement policies concerning international investment rules, investment-related laws and regulations, and other important areas.
-Areas of focus in 2009 include structural reform and strengthening legal infrastructure / IEG, EC / SELI / One-day IEG-EC joint seminar held on 27 July in Singapore, back to back with IEG3
CapacityBuilding Seminar on Ease of Doing Business – Enforcing Contracts – Singapore, 26 July (CTI 28/09T) / - As a further step in implementing the multiyear Private Sector Development workplan, the project is to discuss current perspectives and practices regarding procedures relating ot the enforcement of contracts in APEC economies, with a view to identifying examples of best practice, and to exchange experiences on the “how to” of adopting better quality procedures for enforcement of contracts. / IEG / SELI / A half-day seminar held on 26 July in Singapore back to back with IEG3
5th Conference on Good Regulatory Practice
(CTI 19/2008T) / Among the key objectives of this Conference were:
-To achieve the APEC Bogor goals in the region through the reduction of business transaction costs;
- To encourage regulatory authorities of economies to consult and cooperate amongst themselves, with input from their private sectors, in the process of promulgating any new mandatory requirements and to reference compatible international standards in regulations wherever possible; / CTI / SCSC / Conference was held in Cusco, Peru on 9 August 2008
EC-IEG Seminar on Regulatory Reform to Improve the Domestic Business Environment / - The aim of the seminar is to take stock of past and ongoing work across various APEC fora related to regulatory reform (including the 2008 Structural Reform Ministers Meeting), and to chart some future steps on how the regulatory reform workstream arising out of EC, IEG and SME-WG can leverage on each other to enhance the domestic business environment in APEC.
- The seminar will help officials from APEC economies gain insights into the impact that regulatory reform on simple administrative regulations for businesses will be able to play in facilitating business activity in their own economies and fostering a positive environment across APEC economies for greater trade and investment. / EC, IEG, / SMEWG / Completed – seminar held on 16-17 February 2009 in Singapore
Round Table Discussion on Strategy for Reducing Administrative Burden Co-organised by APEC Economic Committee and OECD / This round table discussion enabled EC and OECD to exchange views on the good practices for reducing administrative burdens; discuss possible ways for overcoming the existing barriers; share general principles for administrative simplification; and consider the effective institutional conditions for implementing regulatory impact analyses (RIA). / EC / Held on 25 July 2009, Singapore
APEC Workshop “Improving Public Consultation in the Rulemaking Process” (EC 04/2009A) / The Workshop provided a forum to facilitate knowledge and information-sharing on experiences, latest practices and approaches to promoting public participation in the rulemaking process. It also served to build participants’ understanding of the common legal underpinnings, regulatory authorities and administrative procedures used to form the basis for public participation in the rulemaking process. / EC / Workshop held in Jakarta on 29-30 October 2009.
2009 APEC Economic Policy Report (AEPR) / The theme of the 2009 AEPR is regulatory reform. / EC / Completed. AEPR publicized in Nov 2009.
Workshop on Reducing Business Start-up and Establishment Time of Businesses (EC 05/2009A) / The Workshop is part of the Ease of Doing Business Action Plan launched in 2009, and intends to provide participants with a broader understanding of how the regulatory environment can affect the process of starting a business, the economic benefits of facilitating business start-up, and the common issues faced by both developing and developed economy members when trying to streamline processes for starting a business. / EC / Workshop will be held in Hiroshima from 1-2 March 2010.
APEC Chemical Dialogue Workshop on “Good Regulatory Practice: Case Study Workshop on the Chemicals Sector- From Principles to Practice" (CTI 10/2009A) / -Bridge principles and practice through the workshop by highlighting examples of best practices, experiences and opportunities in best regulatory practices with the increased and direct involvement of regulators;
-Share information more broadly in the region on chemicals management;
-Discuss nexus between chemicals management with regional economic integration including topics such as trade facilitation and SME competitiveness and;
-Provide on-going training opportunities to help integrate and promote regulators’ involvement in APEC fora and build constituencies and networks amongst regional experts. / CTI-CD / Workshop to be held March 1-2, 2010 inHiroshima, Japan.
Continue work to encourage developing economies to develop action plans to incorporate UNECE Regulations and global technical regulations for motor vehicles into their domestic legislation. / -Assistance in capacity building to support efforts of economies in harmonizing regulations and developing certification and regulatory systems. / TPTWG / On-going
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COMPETITION POLICY

PUBLIC SECTOR GOVERNANCE

ACTIVITIES / (EXPECTED) KEY OUTCOMES / APEC FORA / OTHER STRUCTURAL REFORM AREA (IF RELEVANT) / STATUS
Discussion of ‘Transparency and Sustainability in the Public Balance Sheet’ as a policy theme by SFOM and at FMM (2007/FMP/SFOM2/005) / -Development of principles for managing off-balance sheet fiscal risks. / FMP / N/A / Completed and adopted at FMM August 2007
Symposium on Anti-Corruption and Administrative Reform (ACT 02/2008A) / -Exchange of views and experiences amongst members on the interaction between anti-corruption and administrative reform.
-Drawing out of the best solutions for effectively promoting this interaction. / ACT / N/A / Completed, held in Hanoi from 25-26 June 2008
Workshop on Governance in Public & Private Sector & Its Impact on Anti-Corruption (ACT 04/2009A) / -The 1½ day workshop brought together government official, business leaders and academics from APEC economies and beyond to discuss issues on governance and its impact on anti-corruption. The finding of this workshop was further condense and discussed at the 2 ACT plenary meeting and with substantial inputs from all economies and ABAC, a APEC Guideline on Governance and Anti-Corruption was drafted and proposed / ACT / Corporate governance / Completed, held on 24-25 February 2009 in Singapore
Capacity-Building Workshop on Formulating Strategies for Strengthening Inter-Agency Mechanisms on Combating Corruption Related to Money Laundering (ACT 03/2009A) / -The Workshop aimed to increase participants’ awareness of the complexities of the money laundering/corruption nexus and of the need to enhance cooperation and coordination at domestic, regional and international levels between all law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders concerned. / ACT / Corporate governance / Completed, held on 21-23 October 2009 in Bangkok
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Good Governance on Investment Promotion (repeated under Corporate Governance, CTI 10/2008T) / -Improvement of good governance on investment promotion as a way to improve the investment climate in the APEC region.
-Good governance covers State management of investment matters and the way in which private sector corporations are managed. / IEG / Corporate governance / Completed, held on 19-20 May 2008 in Lima
Workshop on Government Performance & Results management (Self-funded project of Chinese Taipei) / -Raising awareness, stimulating new ideas and exchanging experiences about managing the overall performance of public agency and individual project results of agency.
-The contents of in-depth policy dialogues and presentations will be made available on a website to all APEC economies / EC / N/A / Completed held on 27-28 March 2008 in Chinese Taipei
Workshop on E-Governance / - Raising the awareness of the important role of ICTs in enabling public sector governance.
- Sharing the knowledge, experiences and lessons learned from economies’ different perspectives. / EC/TELWG / N/A / Completed,
held on Feb. 27, 2008 in Lima
Roundtable Discussion on Improving Public Governance Quality: Practice and Measures / - Provided a platform for economies to exchange experiences and practices related to the measurement of public sector governance.
- Enabled participants to review existing strategies, instruments, tools and practices to improve public governance quality; and demonstrating/examining how economies apply the general principles of good public sector governance set out in the 2007 AEPR in various political and economic contexts. / EC / N/A / Completed,
held on July 24, 2009 in Singapore