At the end of 2005, the following activities will have been carried out in Costa Rica:

1. Prepare and publish easy–to–read materials on the benefits of competition laws, drawing upon analysis of past enforcement cases.
   An international consultant (Chile) is in charge of the preparation of this brochure. It is envisaged to organise missions to San Jose in order to present the output.
2. Organise a workshop to be attended by 30–40 participants on the nature and benefits of competition law and its enforcement. Separate sessions will target consumer associations, the media, and national policymakers.
   This activity is in close connection with activity No. 1.
3. Prepare a report on the comparative strengths and weaknesses of the Costa Rican competition law and its enforcement, including the possibility of updating this report periodically. The report will include policy recommendations.
   Two consultants from Costa Rica and Brazil are preparing the proposal to amend the current competition chapter within the Costa Rican Competition and Consumer Protection Law. This activity is expected to be finished by December 2005.
4. Formulate a report containing proposed amendments to the competition regulations and organize a seminar to explain them to regulators and government officials.
   This activity is in close connection with activity No. 3.
5. Elaborate a manual that shows how the enforcement agency can implement a system to certify and/or recognize best practices by firms, which can encourage the latter to regulate their behaviour.
   A national consultant is in charge of the preparation of the manual.
6. Prepare and publish a leaflet describing the means by which consumer protection policy is implemented in Costa Rica and include many examples drawn from actual cases.
   An international consultant from Peru is in charge of this activity. The first mission to San Jose takes place in August in order to gather preliminary information about the consumer protection situation in Costa Rica.
7. Organize a training workshop on selected aspects of consumer protection matters, including references to other nations’ practices and giving special attention to the financial sector.
   This activity is in close connection with activity No. 6.
8. Prepare a report that compares Costa Rica’s consumer protection law with those of similar developing countries, and include reform proposals and an evaluation of the merits of enacting a combined consumer protection and competition law.
   As with the competition activity (see activity No. 3 above), this activity will be carried out by a national consultant who will propose amendments to the current chapter on consumer protection within the Costa Rican Consumer Protection and Competition Law.