8TH UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON COMPETITION AND CONSUMER PROTECTION HAS COMMENCED
On October 19, 2020 the opening of the 8th United Nations Conference to Review All Aspects of the Set of Multilaterally Agreed Equitable Principles and Rules for the Control of Restrictive Business Practices (hereinafter – the Conference) took place in Geneva (Switzerland), in which the FAS Russia took virtual participation.
In 2020, due to the unfavorable epidemiological situation, the Conference is held for the first time in a hybrid format, implying both face-to-face participation and online presentations of representatives of UN member States.
For the first time, the agenda of the Conference combines the issues related to both the UN Set on Competition and the UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection, including combatting cross-border cartels, consumer protection in the digital age, preventing the circulation of unsafe goods, as well as strengthening international cooperation to combat unfair cross-border practices.
Opening of the Conference was carried out by Dr. Mukhisa Kituy, UNCTAD Secretary-General.
The topic of combatting the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic was developed during a high-level segment dedicated to stabilizing the economy and protecting the population during crisis.
Keynote speech in this session was given by the Prof. Frederic Jenny, Chairman of the OECD Competition Committee. In his speech, Prof. Frederic Jenny highlighted the work carried out by the OECD Competition Committee to develop antimonopoly responses during the pandemic, as well as to develop recommendations for governments and competition authorities to overcome the crisis.
Speakers of the given session were Mr. Bakhyt Sultanov - Minister of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan, Ms. Peggy Seram - Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry of Botswana, Ms. Victoria Hernández Mora - Minister of Industry and Commerce of Costa Rica, Mr. Christian Kastrop - State Secretary of the Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection of Germany, and Mr. João Torres - State Secretary Ministry of Trade, Services and Consumer Protection of Portugal.
The first day of the Conference ended with a Session on the implementation of the Set of Multilaterally Agreed Equitable Principles and Rules for the Control of Restrictive Business Practices. The UN Set on Competition was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1980 and became the first multilateral document summarizing the world's best practices in combatting cross-border violations. The key speakers of the session were Mr. Vladimir Koltovich - Minister of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade of the Republic of Belarus, Mr. Looi Teck Kheong - Head of Competition, Consumer Protection and Intellectual Property Rights Division, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and Mr. Arman Shakkaliyev - Head of Secretariat for Member of the Board-Minister in Charge of Competition and Antitrust Regulation, Eurasian Economic Commission.
During the session, the speakers noted the importance of international cooperation, including within the framework of regional associations, in combatting cross-border anticompetitive practices and expressed their willingness to develop up-to-date cooperation mechanisms for the most efficient and prompt implementation of enforcement activities.
During the Conference, the FAS Russia delegation will be the key speaker at the Session on International Cooperation and the moderator during the Roundtable on Combatting Cross-Border Cartels. Both events will take place on October 22, 2020.
The Roundtable on Combatting Cross-Border Cartels will be devoted to topical issues of countering cross-border cartels, in particular, issues faced by competition authorities when conducting investigations, as well as possible ways and mechanisms to resolve these problems.
Major point of the session will be the presentation of the results of an empirical study on cross-border cartels prepared by the BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre.
Guiding Policies and Procedures under Section F of the Set of Multilaterally Agreed Equitable Principles and Rules for the Control of Restrictive Business Practices are expected to be adopted following the Session on International Cooperation by the Resolution of the Conference.
“The Russian delegation has done a lot to assist the UNCTAD Secretariat in the preparation and informational content of the 8th Conference. Substantial events have been held over the past five years since the 7th Conference in 2015 as part of the annual meetings of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts. We are glad to be part of the Conference and are ready to actively participate in fruitful discussions”, - summed up Andrey Tsyganov, Deputy Head of the FAS Russia.
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* Following the revision of the United Nations guidelines by the General Assembly in 2015, the conference in 2020 will, for the first time, also consider issues directly related to consumer protection. The Resolution of the Conference will include the most pressing issues and set the agenda for the work of the UNCTAD Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Competition Law and Policy and the UNCTAD Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Consumer Protection Law and Policy for a five-year period.