TEMPO.CO, Jakarta -The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), in conjunction with the Indonesian Commission for the Supervision of Business Competition (KPPU) recently held a workshop which is aimed to increase public understanding on the different statutes addressing vertical agreements amongst its’ members as well as the United States (US).

The workshop, which is titled "Workshop on Competition Issues in Manufacturer-Distributor-Retailer Restraints: A Comparison and Hypothetical Application of Different Approaches in ASEAN Member States (AMS) and the United States", was held in Jakarta from January 19 to January 21, 2015. The program focuses on the essential elements required to plan and conduct investigations, which include building theory of harm, conducting interviews, collecting evidence, and the steps required to determine anti-competitive violations.

Yap Lai Peng from the ASEAN Secretariat added that ASEAN integration would necessitate a robust competition regime to manage the outcomes from integration and ensure a level playing field amongst business players.

As such, throughout the workshop participants from all around ASEAN were encouraged to share their views and experiences on the challenges in conducting investigations, the steps taken to strengthen the investigation procedures and the remedies.

"Cases against manufacturers and distributors or retailers for vertical restraints are rare both in ASEAN and the United States. Nevertheless they are important considering the sheer number of complaints received by competition agencies on potential vertical restraint cases," said a workshop facilitator from the US Federal Trade Commission, Timothy Hughes. (*)