ANDREY TSYGANOV: THE PANDEMIC IS A NEW CHALLENGE FOR ALL COMPETITIVE AGENCIES IN THE WORLD
The Deputy Head of the FAS Russia discussed the preparation of the forthcoming Webinar on the importance of international cooperation during the pandemic with representatives of competition authorities of Austria, Brazil, USA, South Africa and Japan
On the 12th of May, 2020, Andrey Tsyganov, Deputy Head of the FAS Russia took part in a meeting of the Secretariat of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the Editorial Committee of the Guidelines and Procedures for International Cooperation in accordance with Section F of the UN Competition Complex, which was held in a videoconference format.
The parties discussed the preparation of the upcoming Webinar "The State of Competition during the COVID-19 Pandemic: the Need for International Cooperation", which will be held on May 29, 2020.
At the meeting, the Deputy Head of the FAS Russia proposed to include in the agenda of the upcoming event a number of topical issues related to the role of competition agencies in development and implementation of the state policy, usage of "soft power" tool to stabilize the situation in the markets, and priorities of competition policy in the period of crisis recovery. Andrey Tsyganov also emphasized the readiness of the FAS Russia to share its experience in competition advocacy, antimonopoly response measures taken and successful interaction with the public authorities and Regional Offices of the FAS Russia.
He noted that the pandemic is a new challenge for all antimonopoly agencies, and in this regard the mechanisms set out in the Guidelines become even more relevant for the competitive community.
"Formation of a global response of competition agencies to the pandemic requires consolidation of our efforts for the most repid response and elimination of negative consequences," - said Andrey Tsyganov.
Reference:
On July 12, 2019, in Geneva (Switzerland), within the framework of the 18th Session of the UNCTAD Intergovernmental Group of Experts (IGE) on Competition Law and Policy in Geneva (Switzerland), competition authorities of UNCTAD member-states approved the text of the Guidelines and Procedures on International Cooperation under Section F of the Set of Multilaterally Agreed Equitable Principles and Rules for the Control of Restrictive Business Practices.
The approved document was included in the agenda and should be officially adopted within the framework of the Conference on reviewing the UN Competition Set, which will be held in 2020.