Markets Wired

The Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division today announced that they will host a joint workshop entitled, “2008 International Technical Assistance Workshop: Charting the Future Course of International Technical Assistance at the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission.”

The workshop, which will be held on February 6, 2008, will outline the agencies’ experience providing technical assistance to new antitrust and consumer protection agencies and to countries in the process of reforming their markets and adopting antitrust and consumer protection laws. It also will provide an opportunity to discuss ideas for improving the agencies’ technical assistance programs, maximizing their effectiveness, and charting future courses of such efforts.

FTC Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras and Thomas O. Barnett, the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Antitrust Division, will deliver introductory remarks.

The workshop will consist of several interactive panel discussions covering topics including:

• An overview of the antitrust technical assistance provided by the FTC and the Antitrust Division over the past two decades;
• The expanding role of consumer protection in developing legal and economic policies through technical assistance;
• The experience of other providers of technical assistance, including foreign agencies and multilateral organizations;
• Perspectives from private practitioners, academics and officials from foreign agencies on what is needed in the technical assistance area; and
• Technical assistance for the 21st century, including recommendations to be implemented by the FTC and the Antitrust Division as they promote competition and consumer protection law and policy.

The workshop, which will be free and open to the public, will be held from 8:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. at the FTC ‘s satellite building conference center, located at 601 New Jersey Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC. A government-issued photo ID is required for entry. Pre-registration is not required.

Reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities are available upon request. Requests for such accommodations should be submitted via e-mail to cmcglothlin@ftc.gov or by calling Carrie McGlothlin at 202-326-3388. Such requests should include a detailed description of the accommodations needed and a way to contact you if we need more information. Please provide advance notice.

Anyone may submit written or electronic comments, either before or after the workshop. Two complete copies of each written submission should be submitted. The e-mail address for submitting comments to the FTC is: itaworkshop08@ftc.gov. Comments to the Justice Department can be submitted using the DOJ conference Web site. For more information on the workshop, including a detailed agenda, please visit: www.ftc.gov/oia/wkshp/index.shtm or www.usdoj.gov/atr/public/workshops/techassist2008/index.htm.