OREANDA-NEWS. July 22, 2013. Moscow hosted a meeting of the heads of antimonopoly authorities of the member-states of the Common Economic Space (CES) and the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) in the “three plus one” format.

Participants included the Head of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia) Igor Artemiev; the Chairman of the Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Competition Protection, Bolatbek Kuandykov; the Director of the Pricing Policy Department, Igor Fomin; a member of Collegium (minister) for competition and antimonopoly regulation of the Eurasian Economic Commission, Nurlan Aldabergenov; Deputy Heads of FAS Anatoly Golomolzin and Alexander Kinev; and other officers of the antimonopoly bodies from the CIS.

The parties discussed the issues of cooperation between the antimonopoly authorities of CES and EEC member-states in the main areas of competition policy.

Summing up the discussion, participants decided to form joint Working Groups on the following:

- Competition advocacy (responsibility of the Republic of Belarus);

- Reducing unreasonable state participation (the Republic of Kazakhstan);

- Mergers and Acquisitions (the Russian Federation);

- Enforcement of the prohibition of unfair competition (EEC);

- Enforcement of the prohibition of anticompetitive agreements (EEC);

- Enforcement of the prohibition of abusing market dominance (EEC).

- Evaluating regulatory upon the Parties’ regulator acts competition.

Attendees emphasized the importance of the methodology of their joint work and decided to form the Methodological Council under the CES umbrella.

Drafting the Strategy of Common Competition Policy was determined as one the priorities in cooperation of the antimonopoly bodies of CES programme.

Participants expressed their intention to further develop cooperation for the purposes of efficient competition policy and development of competition on the trans-border markets of CES countries, as well as continue meetings in that “three plus one” format on a regular basis to evaluate the results of the work and identify prospective area of cooperation.

The leaders of the antimonopoly authorities of the member-states of the Common Economic Space (CES) and the Eurasian Economic Commission met under “three plus one” format on 5th July 2013.