Good Regulatory Practice for Services in the Digital Era

The workshop is designed to identify challenges and opportunities for good regulatory practice in services, particularly those arising from digital technologies and in the context of efforts to move towards deeper regional economic integration. It aims to contribute to the joint APEC EC-GOS work on services and structural reform. ERIA will provide an update on developments in ASEAN and its work to support ASEAN economies in good regulatory practice in services.

The workshop will explore two new areas where existing frameworks and common understanding are lacking: the digitalisation of services trade and the role of services in the application of artificial intelligence and its impact on services.

This will include considering ways in which new digital technologies complicate the design of good regulatory practice (for example, by raising new issues) but also how they can facilitate its implementation. Issues that could be considered include:

• The potential for cooperation and coordination on digital technology and artificial intelligence across economies, helping to drive interoperability;
• How to make the case for new frameworks that support regional economic integration alongside the adoption of new technologies;
• The value of capacity building to support the implementation of multilateral and regional agreements and principles.

Commentators will develop various aspects of these ideas with particular reference to the economy level experience of the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Participants will be invited to contribute to the discussion.