Sergey Puzyrevskiy: the time has come to add “Competition Law” to the list of specialties

“Development of the antimonopoly law has resulted in establishing a new field – “Competition Law” that has its own subject, method and principles of legal regulation”

Deputy Head of FAS Sergey Puzyrevskiy discussed a new specialization – “Competition Law” on 24 October 2017 at a joint session of the Research Council of the Russian Academy of Sciences on Competition Protection and the Expert Council of the Supreme Attestation Commission on Law under the Ministry of the Education and Science.

The key parameters of market economy are based on the Constitution of the Russian Federation: it guarantees the unity of economic space; free movement of goods; support to competition and freedom of economic activity; private, public, municipal and other forms of property are recognized and equally protected.

According to Sergey Puzyrevskiy, “Competition enables socially fair distribution of the results of economic activity. The ideological aspect of the public importance of competition is considered an antidote from private power threatening the foundation of the democratic society”.

From the economic point of view, competition enables efficient use of available resources by economic entities, reduces the goods costs, stimulate innovations and forms an efficient market structure.

Regarding the antimonopoly law in Russia, Sergey Puzyrevskiy emphasized that it is its development that has led to establishing such segment as “Competition Law”. More than 50 law universities in Russia have now specialized Competition Law Departments.

The subject of competition law is relations towards protecting and developing competition: relationships to suppress acts, actions and agreements that lead to restricting, preventing or eliminating competition, as well as relationships, particularly, procedural, to prevent and suppress violations of the antimonopoly law.

The specifics of the method of legal regulation are determined by classifying competition law as public branches of law.

“To solve the issue of developing competition in Russia, “Competition Law” should be included in the list of research specializations, in which post-gradate and doctorate degrees are awarded”, stated Sergey Puzyrevskiy. “It will ensure integrated academic research of competition protection and development, advance the system of antimonopoly regulation and the mechanisms of national policy towards competition protection and development, and will enhance the quality of Russia economy”.