FAS RUSSIA: IN 30 YEARS A CONSTRUCTIVE DIALOGUE BETWEEN ANTIMONOPOLY AUTHORITIES OF RUSSIA AND KAZAKHSTAN HAS BEEN BUILT

The antimonopoly service takes an active part in the work of international organizations and regional associations

On October 7, in Almaty (Republic of Kazakhstan), the VII Eurasian Antimonopoly Forum began with the participation of the delegation of the FAS Russia. The key topic of the event traditionally was the cooperation of the member states of the union on the issues of antimonopoly regulation.

Andrey Tsyganov, Deputy Head of the FAS Russia, noted in his speech that over the 30 years of the existence of the antimonopoly authorities of Russia and Kazakhstan, the states have managed to build a constructive dialogue, establish professional and friendly contacts between the antimonopoly authority. Such cooperation helps to work more effectively on the national and cross-border markets of the Eurasian continent.

In particular, a working group on cross-border cartels has been established and is functioning at the UNCTAD platform, and cooperation in the “BRICS +” format continues. Antimonopoly authorities jointly organize and control activities to develop competition in socially significant markets. In addition, a cooperation agreement was signed with the BRICS International Center for Competition Law and Policy.

During the forum, Andrey Tsyganov also announced the latest trends in ensuring the protection of competition. In particular, in September 2021, the Government of the Russian Federation approved the National Competition Development Plan for 2021-2025. Great attention in the document is paid to social spheres - healthcare, education, transport.

The Eurasian Forum also has become a platform for the exchange of practical knowledge through dialogue between government agencies, the expert community and business.

Yana Sklyarova, Deputy Head of the Department for Control over Advertising and Unfair Competition, took part in a discussion on the issues of current practices for suppressing unfair competition. The subject of discussion was in particular the law enforcement practice of the FAS Russia. Researchers and experts, analyzing modern market trends, noted that Russian practice in terms of unfair competition is the most extensive in the EAEU and is of interest to both market players and regulators in all countries of the Union. 

The speaker also shared with the participants of the discussion the legal positions on the main categories of cases of unfair competition. She noted that statistics on applications received and cases reviewed reflect the severity of competition, especially in the markets for consumer goods. The use of unscrupulous methods of attracting consumers, according to the speaker, in most cases is not associated with insufficient knowledge of the laws but is the result of a planned marketing campaign. The task of the regulator in such situations is to form and bring to the market the insight into unlawful promotion practices.