COMPETITION IS ONE OF THE KEY TOPICS OF THE 2020 GLOBAL AGENDA

The annual meetings of the OECD Competition Committee and its working parties, as well as the 19th OECD Global Forum on Competition have ended

Traditionally, topics for discussion during the OECD Competition Committee and its working parties are brought up by member-states and observer countries and are aimed at in-depth study of competition issues in accordance with the most relevant considerations, as well as development of new approaches to solving these issues. During the December events the topics of digital advertising markets, relationship between sustainable development and competition, role of competition policy in economic recovery, and competitive economy of digital ecosystems were discussed.

Following the meetings of the Committee, the OECD Global Forum on Competition brought together more than 400 participants – heads of competition authorities and international experts in the field of competition from more than 110 countries. The OECD Global Forum on Competition included a discussion of strategically important directions of competition policy and the formation of a global agenda for the future.

The Forum was opened by OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría. The plenary session of the Global Forum was dedicated to the topic "Competition policy – time to reset?". The keynote speakers were Frederic Jenny, Chairman of the OECD Competition Committee, Margrethe Vestager, European Commissioner for Competition, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, William Kovacic, Georgetown University Professor, and Christine Wilson, Commissioner of the US Federal Trade Commission.

The experts discussed whether fundamental changes in the existing framework of competition policy are necessary. Experts' suggestions included legislative changes to cover a broader range of potentially anticompetitive practices and mergers, expediting competition enforcement measures, incorporating different evidentiary standards and remedies. They also discussed the feasibility of expanding the main objectives and focus of competition policy, taking into account the provisions of industrial policy, competition neutrality, inequality and sustainability.

Deputy Head Andrey Tsyganov was the speaker from the FAS Russia at the OECD events. The Russian delegation presented reports on the Russian experience of antimonopoly regulation on the abuse of dominance in digital markets, role of competition policy in promoting economic recovery, economic analysis in merger investigations, and market research. Denis Gavrilov, a member of the General Council of the Association of Antimonopoly Experts, Counsel to the antimonopoly practice of the Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners, told foreign colleagues about conducting a quantitative analysis when considering mergers.

Russian competition authority`s presentations during the sessions of the Committee and the OECD Global Forum on Competition aroused high interest from the international competition community. The experts noted the importance of the issues raised by the authority on determining the market when considering cases of abuse of dominance in digital markets, as well as the specifics of conducting economic analysis in merger investigations.

In addition, earlier the FAS submitted to the OECD a regular Report on competition policy in Russian Federation in 2019[1]. This Report reflects a full-fledged picture of the activities of the antimonopoly authority for the year, including changes in antimonopoly legislation, an overview of important cases on the consideration of anticompetitive practices, market research conducted by the authority, as well as a set of measures to advocate competition.

"Meetings of the OECD Competition Committee and the OECD Global Forum on Competition allow us every time not only to listen to interesting reports from foreign experts, but to carry out a mutually beneficial exchange of theoretical achievements and practical knowledge in the field of competition policy. Moreover, the FAS Russia has something to share with colleagues. Interacting with leading international organizations and integration associations such as OECD, EU, UNCTAD, APEC, BRICS for 30 years, we have been able to accumulate the best international experience, actively use the accumulated knowledge both to improve legislation and effective law enforcement, as well as to advocate competition", - said Andrey Tsyganov, Deputy Head of the FAS Russia.

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Meetings of the OECD Competition Committee and its working groups are held twice a year. One of the sessions is traditionally combined with the OECD Global Forum on Competition.