OREANDA-NEWS. March 21, 2012. The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia) jointly with Hungary’s Regional Competition Centre of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) organized an international seminar “Developing Competition on the Market of Payment Cards” in St Petersburg, reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

Deputy Head of FAS Russia, Stats-Secretary, Andrey Tsarikovskiy, and the Head of Hungary’s Regional Competition Centre, OECD, Joao Pearce Azevedo, gave a welcoming address to the seminar attendees.

Andrey Tsarikovskiy pointed out that joint seminars on pressing issues formed a solid tradition on exchanging experiences between Russian and foreign practices. He expressed his hope that the next joint seminar would already be organized in the Training Centre of FAS Russia in Kazan, which is scheduled to open this year.

Zoltan Bara, Chief Economic of Hungary’s Competition Authority, focused his report in the role of economic analysis in the cases on violating the antimonopoly law.

According to Zoltan Bara, “an economic approach helps the parties to the disputes. Judges also use the findings of economic analysis to understand what is hidden behind legal arguments put forward by the parties. One of the advantages of the economic approaches is that all participants of competition process are able to substantiate their words by specific justifications”.

In course of the three-day seminar participants discussed the issues related to enforcement of competition policy by regulators and the authorities that have similar competence in the field of payment cards, efficiency of the existing system, determination of market boundaries and abusing dominant position on the market of payment cards, etc.

The seminar was attended by the First Deputy Chairman of the Bank of Russia, Vladislav Kontorovich; Deputy Head of FAS Russia Andrey Kashevarov; the Head of FAS Department for Control over Financial Markets, Olga Sergeeva; the Head of FAS Department for International Economic Cooperation, Lesya Davydova; representatives of regional FAS offices, OECD Regional Competition Centre in Hungary, the Bank of Russia and competition authorities of OECD states and the CIS member-states.