OREANDA-NEWS. June 09, 2014. The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia) found that the “Association of Production and Trading Enterprises of the Fish Market” Non-Commercial Organization and the Vietnam Executive of Seafood Export to Russian Market violated the antimonopoly law: concluded and took part in an agreement that lead or could have led to restricting competition by preventing entry of other economic entities to the market of frozen swai fillet (Clause 3 Part 4 Article 11 of the Federal Law “On Protection of Competition”).

The case was separated in 2013 in the course of issuing a decision on a case against a cartel on the market of supplies of frozen swai fillet from Vietnam.

The FAS Commission established that as a result of the agreement between the Association and the Vietnam Executive, import of frozen swai fillet to Russia could mainly be exercised by the companies that were members of the Association.

“Successful investigations of such cases were facilitated through active cooperation between FAS and Vietnam authorities”, pointed out the Head of FAS Anti-Cartel Department, Andrey Tenishev. “We believe that in the future suppliers of swai from Vietnam will not raise such barriers”.

In 2013, a FAS delegation visited Vietnam. The pogramme included negotiations with Vietnam Ministry of Agriculture, the Competition Policy Department of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, representatives of Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) and the Vietnam Executive of Seafood Export to Russian Market.

As a result of this cooperation, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam liquidated the Vietnam Executive of Seafood Export to Russian Market, the proceedings against it were terminated.

“Vietnam Executive for work with Russia was unique. Vietnam did not have any similar structures formed for work with other competition authorities. Vietnam producers supply swai to other countries directly. That is, producers themselves can determine their buyers. FAS was striving for the same conditions for Russian companies”, said Deputy Head of FAS Alexander Kinev.