RESULTS OF THE WORK OF THE BRICS COMPETITION AUTHORITIES IN 2020

Antimonopoly provisions in strategic documents of BRICS, work in digital, pharmaceutical and automobile markets, exchange trade, creation of the International BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre and the cooperation within the international organizations such as UNCTAD are the main issues in the agenda of the meeting of the BRICS Coordination Committee on Antimonopoly Policy.

The meeting took place on November 12 in the format of a video conference. “During the spread of coronavirus infection, we have found new forms of work and are developing remote interaction, which allows us to be always effective,” noted Andrey Tsarikovskiy, Stats-Secretary, Deputy Head of the FAS Russia. He also informed the BRICS colleagues about the latest structural changes in the FAS Russia: on November 11 Maxim Shaskolsky was appointed as the Head of the regulator.

Within the meeting, the BRICS Competition Authorities emphasized the progressive development of cooperation between in the antimonopoly sphere and the existing formats of joint work, as well as summed up the activities of the BRICS Working Groups for the research of competition issues in socially significant markets.

Speaking about the BRICS Competition Authority Report on Digital Markets, which was jointly prepared under the leadership of the CADE and presented at the Sixth BRICS Competition Conference, the Deputy Head of the Russian Antimonopoly Authority Andrey Tsyganov noted: "This Report may be updated to reflect the new realities of the coronavirus pandemic, which may highlight the challenges faced by competition authorities in the increasing role of digital platforms."

During the meeting, the participants also touched upon the topic of organized trade. “Competition authorities of the BRICS countries need to continue to broadcast the importance of expanding cooperation on the development of competition, an important instrument of which is the exchange,” Andrey Tsarikovskiy stressed. “At the same time, as the FAS practice shows, exchange trading should remain in the field of view of competition authorities from the point of view of antimonopoly law enforcement”.

As a reminder, in 2020 the FAS Russia uncovered the first cartel on the exchange: the largest Russian fuel traders Solid-Commodity Markets JSC and A-Oil LLC were found guilty of cartel conspiracy in the exchange trading of oil products.

In continuation of the discussion, the participants emphasized the successful results of the Eighth United Nations Conference to Review All Aspects of the Set of Multilaterally Agreed Equitable Principles and Rules for the Control of Restrictive Business Practices and discussed further possible directions of the UNCTAD Working Group on cross-border cartels.

The separate item of the agenda of the meeting was the joint work with the BRICS Competition Authorities and the BRICS International Competition Law and Policy Centre and the ways forward in this direction.

In conclusion of the meeting, the State Administrative for Market Regulation of the People’s Republic of China updated the status of the preparations of the VII BRICS Competition Conference to be held in 2021 in China.