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2009/SOM2/GOS/SEM1/001

Agenda

Submitted by: United States

/ Seminar on Regulatory Issues in Cross-Border Services Trade: Ensuring Protection ofConsumers and Service Suppliers
Singapore
27 July 2009

CTI 30/2008TJuly 2009

“Regulatory Issues in Cross-Border Services Trade:

Ensuring Protection of Consumers and Service Suppliers”

GOS Seminar – 27 July 2009 – Singapore

Seminar Agenda

9:00 – 9:45 Introduction
Regulatory issues in cross-border services trade
  • Treatment of services-related regulatory issues in trade agreements (GATS, FTAs)
  • Specific issues raised by cross-border services trade—how to enforce laws/regulations intended to protect consumers and businesses
  • Distinction between issues raised by business-to-consumer and business-to-business trade
Speaker: Christopher Melly, Office of U.S. Trade Representative
9:45 – 10:30 Regulatory Issues in Cross-Border Services Trade I
Consumer protection
  • Development of cross-border networks for regulatory enforcement
  • Current mechanisms for cooperative regulatory enforcement:
Formal and informal mechanisms
Bilateral, regional, and multilateral mechanisms
Speaker: Pablo Zylberglait, U.S. Federal Trade Commission
10:30 – 10:45Coffee break
10:45 – 12:00 Regulatory Issues in Cross-Border Services Trade II
Resolution of disputes
  • Mechanisms for facilitating redress in cross-border transactions(e.g., internal complaints handling, government-obtained redress, alternative dispute settlement)
  • Payment card protections
  • Contractual agreements between suppliers and consumers
Speakers:Brigitte Acoca, OECD Committee on Consumer Policy
Seah Seng Choon, Consumer Association of Singapore
Natalia Calero Sanchez, Consumer Protection Federal Agency, Mexico
12:00 – 12:30 Regulatory Issues in Cross-Border Services Trade III
Protection of data
  • Data privacy regimes in APEC economies
  • Work of APEC’s E-Commerce Steering Group, Data Privacy Sub-Group
Speaker: Colin Minihan, Chair, Data Privacy Sub-Group, APEC E-Commerce Steering Group
12:30 – 14:00 Lunch
14:00 – 15:30 APEC Economy Perspectives
Consumer protection and resolution of disputes – cooperative networks
  • Experience and approaches of APEC economy regulators
Speakers:Renee Prescott, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
Rungit Singh, Ministry of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives & Consumerism, Malaysia
Sergio Corvalán, National Agency of Consumer Protection, Chile
Tae-Hyun Moon, Korea Consumer Authority
15:30 – 15:45Coffee break
15:45 – 17:00 Roundtable Discussion
Interaction between services trade and regulatory issues
  • Which regulatory issues discussed are most relevant in cross-border services trade
  • What other regulatory issues arise in cross-border services context (e.g., sector-specific issues)
  • How well do existing mechanisms address these regulatory concerns
  • Possible areas for further cooperation
  • Practice in FTAs, regional agreements
  • Direct assistance, capacity building
Speakers:Dale Andrew, OECD Services Division
Trinh Anh Tuan, Vietnam Competition Administration Department
17:00 – 17:30 Conclusions and Next Steps
Conclusions from roundtable discussion
  • Perspectives of regulators and services trade negotiators
Next steps for APEC
  • Development of APEC Services Initiative
  • Identification of additional topics for possible 2010 GOS seminars

Speakers

  1. Brigitte Acoca

Consumer Policy Analyst, Committee on Consumer Policy

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

  1. Dale Andrew

Head, Trade Policy Linkages and Services Division

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

  1. Natalia Calero Sanchez

Director for Arbitration and Resolutions

Consumer Protection Federal Agency, Mexico (PROFECO)

  1. Seah Seng Choon

Executive Director

Consumer Association of Singapore

  1. Sergio Corvalán

Deputy Director

National Agency of Consumers Protection, Chile (SERNAC)

  1. Christopher Melly

Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Services

Office of the U.S. Trade Representative

  1. Colin Minihan

Senior Advisor, Privacy and FOI Policy Branch, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Australia (Chair, Data Privacy Sub-group, APEC E-Commerce Steering Group)

  1. Tae-Hyun Moon

Head, International Consumer Research Team

Korea Consumer Authority

  1. Renee Prescott

International Unit

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission

  1. Rungit Singh

Chairman, Tribunal of Consumer Claims Malaysia, Ministry of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives, and Consumerism (Head, Working Group for Cross-Border Consumer Redress, ASEAN Coordinating Committee on Consumer Protection)

  1. Trinh Anh Tuan

Director, International Cooperation Division

Vietnam Competition Administration Department

  1. Pablo Zylberglait

Counsel for International Consumer Protection, Office of International Affairs

U.S. Federal Trade Commission