Malaysia on track for an Anti-Monopoly Law

The Friedrich Naumann Foundation invited a delegation of high ranking Southeast Asian officials to attend the XI. International Conference on Competition and the Annual Meeting of the International Competition Network from June 6-8, 2005 in Bonn/Germany. Both conferences received high-level attention in Germany and saw the attendance of the European Commissioner for Competition Ms. Nellie Kroes.

The Southeast Asian delegation, invited by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, comprised of members from the Malaysian Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, the Vietnamese Ministry of Trade, including Deputy Minister Le Danh Vinh, and the Trade Competition Bureau of the Department of Internal Trade in Thailand.

In the absence of a world authority on antitrust issues, the International Competition Network (ICN) is currently the main platform for the deliberation of international anti-monopoly policies and practices. It comprises of more than 80 member authorities in about 70 countries. Besides working on matters of merger control and the appropriate prosecution and punishment of anticompetitive behaviour, the ICN also extends its expertise to new competition authorities and to those countries that are about to have one established. Please find all information about the Network and this year’s annual meeting on www.internationalcompetitionnetwork.org.

In Southeast Asia, Vietnam has successfully passed its Anti-Monopoly Law in December 2004 and is prepared to inaugurate its Antitrust Authority in July 2005. The future Director of this agency, Ms. Dinh Thi My Loan, also joined the delegation of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation. Malaysia might be the next country to become a member in the network of competition authorities, since the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs is confident to have its antitrust bill endorsed by the Cabinet in the foreseeable future.

The Friedrich Naumann Foundation has supported several regional efforts for the development of antitrust bills and authorities. Our efforts are driven by the belief that competition is the main facilitator of innovation and economic efficiency. The main task of competition authorities is to restrain anticompetitive behavior of dominant corporations and to secure market access for local entrepreneurs.

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