Vietnam’s Hanoi capital will play host to the ninth ASEAN Competition Conference on December 1-2, the Secretariat of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN, has announced.

Themed “Safeguarding competition – A post pandemic response of ASEAN competition authorities” the 9th ACC conference will examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on ASEAN markets and the importance of competition in economic recovery.

It will continue the ASEAN Experts Group on Competition (AEGC)’s efforts to strengthen cooperation among member states following the issuance of the Joint Statement in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Major themes of the conference would be implications of the COVID-19 pandemic to ASEAN markets and the rapid shift towards the digital economy and the risk to competition enforcement.

Delegates will also examine ways to maintain business compliance, increase the importance of competition policy for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises in the post-pandemic era, and strengthen cooperation in anticipation of future crisis.

The 9th ACC will be organized by the Department of Competition and Consumer Protection under the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam, in collaboration with the ASEAN Experts Group on Competition (AEGC), the ASEAN Secretariat, the German International Cooperation Organization (GIZ), and the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area Economic Cooperation Support Programme (AECSP).

Source: VOV