business

Economic meetings planned

Panama will host two major regional economic forums next month, namely the Foro Latinoamericano de Competencia on Sept. 10 and 11 and the Foro Iberoamericano de Competencia on Sept. 12.

Manuel De Almeida, who is coordinating both events, said that planning for them began last October.

“There is a great benefit for the country because the meeting will include most of the authorities on competition in Central America,” said De Almeida, who is also the head of the survey and analysis branch of the Autoridad de Protección al Comsumidor y Defensa de la Competencia.

The meetings are being sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Organisztion for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

It will address topics such as competition provisions in treaties and regional trade and provide an economic analysis of recent judicial decisions. The OECD will also provide an update on its efforts to reduce collusion between companies bidding on public projects.

Another issue being discussed will be monopolistic practices, and how governments can prevent them from occurring.

The decision to hold this year's conference in Panama was made at last year's meeting in Mexico. Delegates to that conference chose Panama because it has been actively involved in regional meetings focusing on competition for more than 10 years.

Experts from Italy, Portugal, Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Canada, United States, Honduras, Costa Rica and Panama are expected to speak at the event and participate in various panel discussions.