In 2007, the ASEAN Economic Ministers endorsed the establishment of the ASEAN Experts Group on Competition (AEGC) as the official ASEAN body, comprising of representatives from the competition authorities and agencies responsible for competition policy and law matters in ASEAN Member States (AMS). For the past decade, the AEGC has been committed to establishing enforceable competition rules in all AMS, putting in place effective institutional mechanisms to support the implementation of competition law, creating a competition-aware region that supports fair competition, strengthening regional cooperation on CPL, and ensuring the gradual alignment of competition rules under the new AEC Blueprint 2025.

 

To facilitate the discussion on strategic competition issues, the ASEAN Heads of Competition Agencies (AHCA) Meeting was launched in 2021; while supporting the exchanges of information among AMS and the endeavour to integrate enforcement actions whenever possible, the ASEAN Competition Enforcers Network (ACEN) was formed in 2018 comprising competition enforcers which includes investigators and case handlers.

 

The scope of work of the AEGC are as below:

 

1. Act as a platform to conduct dialogue and discourse on the issues of competition policies and laws towards constructing an integrated and cohesive economy with the view to enhancing competitiveness and dynamism in ASEAN;
2. Exchange information among ASEAN Member States on competition issues such as amendments to laws and regulations, enforcement, and anti-competitive practices as well as new and emerging issues which impact on competition;
3. Facilitate cooperation and coordination among officials responsible for competition issues in ASEAN Member States;
4. Deepen competition policies dialogue with relevant ASEAN agencies and sectoral bodies and enhance engagement with ASEAN dialogue partners and other trading partners;
5. Promote public awareness on the need for competition policies, the contribution of effective competition policies and laws to economic competitiveness, development and investment;
6. Identify and implement projects and activities that would support Member States in implementing the ASEAN Competition Action Plans;
7. Oversee and monitor the implementation of the ASEAN Competition Action Plans towards achieving its targets;
8. Establish subsidiary bodies to deliberate on specific issues and to receive reports and provide guidance to the deliberation of these bodies;
9. Promote convergence in procedural and substantive practices in ASEAN competition laws as part of the ASEAN integration process;
10. Enhance competencies in implementing competition policies and laws through the establishment of competition centres in ASEAN that support training and research, and assist with the development of such centres;
11. Strengthen cooperation and coordination towards an enhanced ability to address anti-competitive behaviours and agreements that have effects in more than one ASEAN jurisdiction, working towards a convergent approach and attitude to competition policies and laws across ASEAN;
12. Facilitate discussions on a regional position on competition policies for Free Trade Agreement negotiations;
13. Hold consultations to deepen cooperation with other competition authorities or related international organisations;
14. Provide inputs and recommendations to Senior Economic Officials Meeting (SEOM) as requested on matters related to competition policies and laws; and
15. Any other functions as assigned by SEOM and ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM).

 

The details of the current Chair of the AEGC and the AEGC Leads are available below:

 

AEGC Chair 2025:

Her Excellency Ly Sopoirvichny

Independent Commissioner of the Cambodia Competition Commission (CCC)

 

Click here for the list of AEGC Leads.

 

The AEGC shall meet at least twice a year with the first to be held in the second quarter and the second to be held in the fourth quarter of the year. The ASEAN Heads of Competition Agencies (AHCA) and the ASEAN Competition Enforcers Network (ACEN) usually hold their meeting on the sideline of the AEGC meeting.