COMPETITION AUTHORITIES OF RUSSIA AND VIETNAM AIM AT INTENSIFYING COOPERATION

During the bilateral meeting, representatives of antimonopoly authorities of the two countries agreed on intensive cooperation, including when considering transactions of economic concentration

Andrey Tsyganov, Deputy Head of FAS Russia, and Trinh Anh Tuan, Deputy Director General of the Vietnam Competition and Consumer Authority, discussed the prospects of expanding cooperation on all issues of mutual interest.

In particular, parties discussed the adaptation of antimonopoly legislation to the conditions of the digital economy, approaches to identifying and suppressing violations in socially significant markets and interaction on the sites of relevant international organizations.

The interaction of the competition authorities of the two countries is planned to be based on the Guiding Policies and Procedures under Section F (International Measures) of the UN Set on Competition*.

Also during the meeting, the parties have reached an agreement on the use of a confidentiality waiver mechanism in the framework of antomonopoly cases. This mechanism involves active cooperation and exchange of necessary information when considering a cross-border transaction by competition authorities in two or more jurisdictions. Such interaction will increase the efficiency of the applications consideration process and speed it up.

* The document was developed and adopted at the initiative of FAS Russia at the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in 2020.

For reference:

In 2010, the countries signed a Memorandum on Cooperation, which served as the beginning of the effective work of the authorities. In particular, in 2013 the delegations of the competition authorities of Russia and Vietnam participated in the investigation of the case on the supply of Vietnamese fish products to Russia (pangasius). According to the results, Russian companies were freed from illegally imposed restrictions on access to the frozen fish market. Also in 2015, Vietnam signed a free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union.