BELARUS RATIFIED A TREATY WITH RUSSIA ON COMPETITION PROTECTION

Collaboration between the parties will take place through antimonopoly bodies – FAS Russia and the Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade of Belarus

President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko signed the Law “On ratifying the Agreement between the Government of the Belarus Republic and the Government of the Russian Federation on cooperation in the field of competition protection”.  It provides for exchanging information, particularly, confidential information, coordinating enforcement efforts, organizing joint inspections and investigations.  

Deputy Head of FAS Andrey Tsyganov commented: “In the CIS there is no such intergovernmental agreement with any other country. FAS is constantly interacting with the Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade. Now our joint work is obtaining a new status and new capabilities: we will be able to exchange confidential information, conduct investigations and inspections together within the common boundaries of the Union state”.

Vladimir Koltovich, Belorussian Minister for Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade said: “Markets in Belarus and Russia have a lot in common. On many aspects of antimonopoly regulation we are following the path tried and tested by FAS. The ultimate goal of our collaboration is to develop and support fair competition on the market of the Union state and increase well-being of our population”.  

Background:

The Agreement between the Government of the Belarus Republic and the Government of the Russian Federation on cooperation in the field of competition protection was signed in February 2019. The Agreement comes into effect after passing intra-state procedures in both countries. The intra-state procedures required in the Russian Federation are completed.

The Agreement is designed to create a legal framework for cooperation between the antimonopoly bodies in enforcement of the antimonopoly law with regard to economic entities of Belarus and Russia as well as economic entities from third countries, which operations influences the state of competition on the markets of the countries – the parties to the Agreement.

The Agreement is the first bilateral Russia-Belarus international treaty formalizing the tools of result-oriented cooperation in enforcement: coordinating enforcement efforts, carrying out inspections, including joint inspections, simultaneous decision-making on cases, etc.