FAS HAD A MEETING WITH COLUMBIA COMPETITION AUTHORITY

The parties agreed to strengthen interaction for enforcement against transnational players

FAS delegation led by Deputy Head Andrey Tsyganov had a meeting with President of Columbia’s Competition Authority, Andres Barreto, during the Annual Conference of the International Competition Network (ICN) in Cartagena (Columbia).

First, Andrey Tsyganov congratulated the Columbian colleagues with the successful organization of the ICN Conference, which is one of the most large-scale competition events.

Deputy Head of FAS informed the Columbian side about the history and structure of Russian antimonopoly body and pointed out that FAS is now a regulator combining diverse interrelated functions. He also stated that competition policy is one of the priorities in the state policy on the economic sector, which is confirmed by the Order of the President of the Russian Federation on the main directions for developing competition policy and the National Competition Development Plan.

Andrey Tsyganov underlined that the international community of competition authorities is necessary for enforcement against transnational players. In this context, FAS is always ready for consultations with Columbia’s Competition Authority on international cases. To strengthen cooperation between the agencies, a proposal was put forward to conclude a Memorandum on Understanding between FAS and Columbia’s Competition Authority.

“In FAS opinion, interaction on international platforms is an important aspect of international cooperation. UNCTAD is now devising the Guidelines on the principles and procedures of international cooperation that are expected to be adopted at the UN Conference for reconsidering the Competition Set in 2020. We will be happy if Columbia’s Competition Authority joins this efforts”, stated Andrey Tsyganov.

Concluding the meeting, Mr. Barreto pointed out that the competition authorities of Columbia and Russia have similar functions and structures since the antimonopoly body in Columbia also is a mega-regulator. He reported that the Columbian side is ready to establish cooperation with FAS. The parties agreed to strengthen further cooperation and work on the text of the Memorandum on Understanding between competition authorities of Russia and Columbia.

Head of FAS Department for International Economic Cooperation Lesya Davydova commented the meeting outcome: “We welcome reinforcing cooperation between FAS and Columbia’s Competition Authority. In the modern world, it is essential for competition authorities to find a common language - not only to exchange experiences and the best practices but also carry out consultations on cases against violators of the antimonopoly law. FAS is open to cooperation with all competition authorities in the world in rode rot prevent anti-competitive practices of large transnational corporation”.