ANDREY TSYGANOV: OBSERVING COMMON PRINCIPLES AND RULES OF COMPETITION IS A GUARANTEE FOR SUCCESSFUL PERFORMANCE OF EAEU COMMON MARKET

Representatives of authorities and expert community of the Eurasian Economic Union discussed competition on cross-border markets at a Round Table in Moscow

On 19 June 2019, Deputy Head of FAS Andrey Tsyganov was a speaker at an International Meeting – Round Table on Competition organized by the Eurasian Economic Commission. Representatives of the authorities of the member-states of the Eurasian Economic Union in the field of economic development and antimonopoly regulation, international organizations, academic and business circles discussed competition protection and development on cross-border markets, as well as increasing awareness of the market players on the common competition rules and the advantages for entrepreneurs in EAEU.

“Observing common principles and rules of competition is a guarantee of successful performance of the common markets in the Eurasian Union in general. Because it is observing the competition rules that ensures the right balance of interests between all market participants, limits weaker market players and end users from monopolism and unfair competition, makes contribution in pursuing the principles of free movement of goods and capital in the common markets. Freedom of economic activity, efficient performance of market sand preventing actions that can have an adverse impact upon mutual trade”, stated Andrey Tsyganov.

Deputy Head of FAS informed about organizing a control system over compliance with common competition rules in the Eurasian Economic Union that operates at two levels – the Eurasian Economic Commission and national antimonopoly bodies of EAEU economies:

“Five member-states of the Eurasian Economic Union independently made sovereign decisions and delegated a part of their state sovereignty to a supranational establishment – the Eurasian Union. This is a rather rare and unique case. It means that the leaders of our countries understand perfectly well that competition plays an essential role exactly for efficient performance of the common markets of the economies of the Eurasian Economic Union.”

Discussing international cooperation, the speaker emphasized a significant “contract portfolio” of various, including inter-governmental agreements that FAS concluded for the purposes of result-oriented cooperation with the antimonopoly bodies of foreign countries to investigate violations and consider transactions in the course of merger.

Anton Subbot, Partner at Baker&Mckenzie Law firm commented that “EAEU countries can take and use the already devised methods for investigating antimonopoly violations, around 600 of such violations are exposed annually, and certain experience is accumulated.”

Deputy Head of FAS discussed in detail cooperation within BRICS, which main directions include studying socially important markets, coordinating enforcement approaches and adopting joint actions.

“We concentrated on socially-important markets and formed joint working groups not only to write thick reports and out forward competition issues on these markets. First of all, it is necessary to undertake some joint actions. BRICS together is nearly half of world consumption. Each of our countries separately can withstand anticompetitive practices of transnational corporations If we do it jointly, however, our bargaining position is getting mode advantageous”, concluded Andrey Tsyganov.

Deputy Head of FAS тalso reminded that the next BRICS Competition Conference will take place in Moscow in September 2019.

President of the Chamber of Trade and Industry of the Russian Federation  Sergey Katyrin; Vice President of the Chamber of Trade and Industry, Vladimir Dmitriev; a member of Collegium (Minister) for Competition and Antimonopoly regulation of the Eurasian Economic Commission, Serek Zhumangarin; Chairman of Armenia’s State Commission for Protecting Economic Competition, Gegam Gevorgyan; Director of State Antimonopoly Regulation Agency, at Kirgizia Government, Shukhrat Sabirov; judges of EAEU Court; Head, UNCTAD Competition and Consumer Policies branch, Theresa Moreira; OECD senior competition expert, Renato Ferrandi, General Director of the Association of European Business, Frank Schauff; Director of Anitmonoply regulation Department of the Eurasina Economic Commission, Alexei Suchkevich, also took part in the event.