18th session of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Competition Law and Policy UN Conference on Trade and Development (IGE UNCAD)

The 18^th session of UNCTAD Intergovernmental Group of Experts (IGE) on Competition Law and Policy opened on 10 July 2019 in Geneva (Switzerland).

On 12 July 2019, competition authorities of UNCTAD member States approved the text of the Guiding Policies and Procedures under Section F of the UN Set of Multilaterally Agreed Equitable Principles and Rules for the Control of Restrictive Business Practices.

Guiding Policies and Procedures were drafted by the UNCTAD Discussion Group on international cooperation formed upon an initiative of FAS Russia in 2017 during the 16^th IGE UNCTAD, where the Head of FAS Russia Igor Artemiev had put forward an idea to adopt a global document formalizing mechanisms and methods of cooperation between competition authorities in investigating cases.

For two years, the Discussion Group has been considering the initiative and studying obstacles facing competition authorities in collaboration for investigating complex antimonopoly cases with a cross-border effect, particularly against large transnational corporations.

Draft Guiding Policies and Procedures were presented for broad discussions on 10 July 2019 at the special UNCTAD session on International Cooperation, where Deputy Head of FAS Russia Andrey Tsyganov was a rapporteur.

Deputy Head of FAS Russia stated that “Discussion Group, which comprises over 50 competition authorities representing all continents, a consensus is regarding the text of the document titled the Guiding Policies and Procedures under Section F of the UN Set on Competition”.

Other speakers included Associate Director, US Federal Trade Commission’s Office of International Affairs, Russell Damtoft; Deputy Secretary General for International Affairs, Japan Fair Trade Commission, Saadaki Suasono; Deputy Managing Director, Austria’s Federal Competition Authority, Natalie Harsdorf; and Director, International Affairs, Italy’s Competition Authority, Alessandra Tonazzi. The documents was supported by delegations from Armenia, Belarus, Brazil, Columbia, Germany, the Eurasian Economic Commission, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Peru, Serbia, Sri-Lanka, South Africa and the UK. 

The approved Guiding Policies and Procedures are included in the agenda and should be officially adopted at the 8^th UN Review Conference in 2020. Other items on the Conference agenda will cover competitive neutrality, countering cross-border cartels and competition in the digital sector.