Establishing cooperation: FAS and Costa Rica competition authority

On 28 March 2017, Deputy Head of FAS Andrey Tsyganov had a working meeting with President of Costa Rica Competition Commission, Ms Marcella Gomez Masis (San Jose, Costa Rica). Deputy Minister for Economy, Industry and Commerce, Carlos Romero Mora Gomez; Head of the Competition Directorate at the Ministry, Errol Solis Mata, and members of the Competition Commission were present. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation in Costa Rica, Alexander Dogadin also took part in the meeting.

The Parties discussed FAS-drafted Toolkit for International Cooperation between competition authorities on preventing restrictive business practices of transnational corporations and cross-border violations of competition rules. The Parties expressed consent that the issue is of mutual interest, especially for such socially important markets as good products, fuel and-energy resources, pharmaceuticals, mineral fertilizers.

Andrey Tsyganovdiscussed the main areas of FAS work paying special attentionto preventing violations of the antimonopoly law and raising the important of preventative control by FAS. The Costa Rica colleagues showed interest in studying the experience of Russian competition authority in devising  sectoral Fair Practice Codes jointly with the business community (car manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, retail) and competition advocacy events, analytical market surveys, particularly, pharmaceuticals and food products markets, and in more detailed  familiarization with high-profile FAS cases against large transnational corporation, such as Google, Apple and some pharmaceutical companies.

Regarding international cooperation, the main focus was on FAS efforts under the frame of international Working Groups (oil products, pharmaceutical, international; roaming) and FAS interaction with competition authorities’ in the BRICS format. Andrey Tsyganov discussed the practice and cooperation plans of informal working groups involving foreign competition authorities and expected results of the joint work under BRICS Memorandum on Cooperation between competition authorities signed in 2016.

The Parties touched the issues of Costa Rica ascending OECD and the legislative and institutional requirements to be met to this purpose. In the opinion of the President of Costa Rica Competition Commission, in the course of it the national competition authority should become more independent, efficient and self-sufficient in terms of developing policy and decision-making. Andrey Tsyganov pointed out that following OECD recommendations is important not so much to reach the goal of ascending OECD but to develop the national economy, improve the antimonopoly law and enforcement, which is clearly demonstrated by the experience of the Russian Federation.

Finally, the Parties discussed possible further areas of cooperation.  Representatives of Costa Rica competition authority confirmed their intention to participate in FAS major international events.