OREANDA-NEWS. July 26, 2013. The European Mediterranean Competition Forum in Geneva held a workshop on “Competition Advocacy in the Countries of the European Mediterranean Region”. The objective was to exchange opinions between competition authorities, on the basis of which young antimonopoly agencies will be able to build up their policy on competition advocacy.

Representatives of Russia, Austria, Morocco, France, Turkey, Romania, Spain, Costa-Rica, Malta, Egypt as well as the Head of UNCTAD Competition Branch Hassan Qaqaya shared their experiences. Presentation on behalf of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia) was given by the leading expert of FAS Department for International Economic Cooperation, Anna Pozdnaykova.

She focused on FAS efforts on competition advocacy across business community. Ms Pozdnyakova pointed out at the paramount importance of the issue for FAS Russia and outlined specific steps undertaken by the Antimonopoly Service in this direction: “We do not simply explain and popularize the principles and rules of competition across business circles. It is important for us to elaborate together on the “rule of the game”, the main strategic directions for developing competition policy. It is essential to receive feedback from the business community”, emphasized Anna Pozdnaykova.

She informed the workshop participants that FAS has created the Competition Council, the Expert Councils on the key markets and FAS is cooperating with the “Promoting Competition” Non-Commercial Partnership as well as “Promoting Competition in the CIS Countries” Non-Commercial Partnership. Anna Pozdnaykova also reported that FAS is actively present in the media space, organizes numerous workshops and events for representatives of businesses and has opened a Community Liaison Office that physical persons can approach to get explanations in the questions of interest with regard to competition policy.

In conclusion, Anna Pozdnaykova stated that “openness, transparency and efficiency are very important for FAS and understanding the need to comply with the rules and principles of fair competition by all market participants is of the key significance for improving the well-being of consumers in entire Russia”.

In their turn, young competition authorities from developing countries stressed a pressing need in devising competition advocacy strategy since economic entities and physical persons lack knowledge of their national antimonopoly laws. In response, more developed antimonopoly bodies expressed their readiness to share achievements in the field and continue such efforts under the framework of the European Mediterranean Competition Forum.