VIR20-6

Sessions and Objectives

Trade Policy and Competition Policy: Exploiting Complementarities in Support of Economic Development Policies

Date: 24/09/2020 Duration: 2.5 (h)

Number of participants: Men(29) / Women(30)

Objective: At the end of the activity, participants will have enhanced their awareness of the complementary roles of competition policy and trade policy and their relevance to development, and competition policy elements in existing WTO Agreements.

Category: Enhance the capacity of government officials to operationalize and correctly implement provisions of one or several WTO Agreements

Indicators:

  • Indicator: Participants opinion

    Evidence: Around 78.57% of participants rated this session as successful (54.76%) or very successful (23.81%). All the individual presentations within this session were highly appreciated by the participants with session 1.1. being successful or very successful for around 67% of the participants, sessions 1.2. and 1.3. for 78,5% and session 1.4. for 69%. Overall, the session can be considered a valuable one based on the comments received from participants.

  • Indicator: Participation – frequency and quality of the interventions / questions raised, contribution to group work

    Evidence: In order to generate participants' general views on the discussed topics, three survey questionnaires were developed and shared with them (one per each day of training). For Day 1 of training, 31 participants expressed their views.

Conclusion: Session 1 provided a detailed and extensive description of competition policy and trade policy showing existing complementarities between them. Special attention was given to the importance of such policies for the development agenda of emerging economies. The participants acknowledged the usefulness of this session in their evaluation form responses.

Results: Fully

Case Study on Public Health: Coordinated Use of Trade, Competition, Intellectual Property and Government Procurement Policies to Achieve Desirable Public Health Outcomes, with Particular Reference to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Date: 01/10/2020 Duration: 2 (h)

Number of participants: Men(29) / Women(30)

Objective: At the end of the activity, participants will be familiar with the possible contributions that trade, intellectual property, government procurement and competition policy can make when used to support public health outcomes in general and in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Category: Improve knowledge of WTO Agreements or particular area of Agreements, of WTO negotiations, of WTO Committees or WTO subjects

Indicators:

  • Indicator: Participants opinion

    Evidence: Overall, around 78,5% of participants rated session 2 as successful (47,62%) or very successful (30,95%). Individual presentations within this session also achieved their respective aims. Thus, session 2.1. was rated as successful or very successful by around 71,5% of participants; session 2.2. received such acknowledgement by around 78,6%; session 2.3. received 67% of successful and very successful rating and session 2.4. received a respective 70.24%.

  • Indicator: Participation – frequency and quality of the interventions / questions raised, contribution to group work

    Evidence: In order to generate participants' general views on the discussed topics, three survey questionnaires were developed and shared with them (one per each day of training). For Day 2 of training, 18 participants expressed their views.

Conclusion: This session was devoted to a specific case study of public health considering the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It elaborated inter alia on access to medical technologies and innovation provided by TRIPS as well as on the ways one can use the GPA as a tool to fight corrupt and collusive behavior especially in emergency situations. Based on the ratings and comments of participants, this session can be considered a success.

Results: Fully

Can International Trade Cooperation Foment International Cooperation in the Field of Competition?

Date: 08/10/2020 Duration: 3 (h)

Number of participants: Men(29) / Women(30)

Objective: At the end of the activity, participants will have an enhanced awareness of competition policy chapters in RTAs, lessons that international trade cooperation holds for international cooperation in the field of competition, non-binding forms of international cooperation in this area, and developing country policy interests in international competition cooperation.

Category: Improve knowledge of WTO Agreements or particular area of Agreements, of WTO negotiations, of WTO Committees or WTO subjects

Indicators:

  • Indicator: Participants opinion

    Evidence: The overall satisfaction with session three was very high. Thus, it was rated as successful (50%) or very successful (23,81%). This session had five individual presentations each of which also received praises from the participants. Sessions 3.1., 3.2., 3.3., 3.4. and 3.5. were rated as successful or very successful by participants with the following respective high satisfaction rates: 80,95%; 71,43%; 71,43%; 61,9% and 83,33%. Many participants highlighted session 3 as being useful and beneficial.

  • Indicator: Participation – frequency and quality of the interventions / questions raised, contribution to group work

    Evidence: In order to generate participants' general views on the discussed topics, three survey questionnaires were developed and shared with them (one per each day of training). For Day 3 of training, 24 participants expressed their views.

Conclusion: The aim of session 3 was to explore different avenues of international cooperation in the area of competition policy, be it a multilateral framework, a binding or a non-binding form of cooperation. In doing so, a special slot was reserved for the discussion of the needs of developing countries. The aim of session 3 is fully achieved in accordance with the e-Seminar participants.

Results: Fully