INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT ON COOPERATION WITH BELARUS IN THE FIELD OF COMPETITION PROTECTION CONCLUDED AT FAS

Agreement is signed by Head of the Federal Antimonopoly Service Igor Artemiev and Minister for Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade of the Republic of Belarus, Vladimir Koltovich

On 27 February 2019, the Agreement on Cooperation in the filed of competition protection was signed in Moscow between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of Belarus was signed at FAS.

“We made an important step – signed the Agreement between the Governments of our countries on antimonopoly policy. It is not just a protocol decision of two antimonopoly bodies; it is a fully-fledged inter-governmental agreement that does not exist with any other country in the CIS. Under its framework, we will be able to exchange confidential information, carry out joint investigations, even joint inspections, we will be able to do work within the common boundaries of our Union State practically in all areas”, started his speech Head of FAS Igor Artemiev.

He continued: “We have been able to organize our work in such a way that we teach each other, assist each other, we are absolutely open to each other. And now the document of the highest power level will help us to do the same work more efficiently. This is because our common market should be developed in the interests of our people”.  

In his turn, Minister for Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade of the Republic of Belarus, Vladimir Koltovichpointed out:

“The Ministry for Antimonopoly Regulation and Tradebegan its work on 8 September 2016 and on 27 September we already signed the Memorandum on Cooperation with the Federal Antimonopoly Service. We are learning from you and the path that you have travelled predetermines you success and achievements. In two years of work we have made changes to 986 regulatory acts of Belarus, harmonized the Law on developing competition, passed amendments to the Law on public procurement, i.e.., we borrowed the entire antimonopoly culture that the Federal Antimonopoly Service has been promoting in the Russian Federation throughout the years of its existence. The Agreement that we sign brings our agencies even closer”.

Background:

The Agreement became the first bilateral Russia-Belarus international treaty, formalizing tools of practical interaction in enforcement – coordinating enforcement activities, carrying out inspections including, simultaneous decisions on cases, etc.

The purpose of the Agreement is to form a legal framework for developing practice-oriented cooperation between the antimonopoly bodies of two countries – in exposing and suppressing violations of the antimonopoly law, particularly, by economic entities from third countries.