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EEC delegation held high-level meetings on competition and public procurement in China 11 Dec 2024 EEC delegation held high-level meetings on competition and public procurement in China During a working visit to Beijing on December 11, the Eurasian Economic Commission's delegation headed by Maxim Ermolovich, EEC Minister in charge of Competition and Antitrust Regulation, held official meetings with the leadership of the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Ministry of Finance of the People's Republic of China. The meeting with Wang Dongwei, Vice Minister of Finance of the People's Republic of China, and Li Xianzhong, Director General of the Department of Treasury of the Ministry of Finance of the People's Republic of China, covered a wide range of topics, including support for SMEs in PRC public procurement, e-procurement, determining the country of origin of goods in the Eurasian Economic Union, and accessibility of Chinese procurement procedures for the EAEU countries. The meeting discussed the areas of work under the Agreement on Trade and Economic Cooperation between the Eurasian Economic Union and its Member States, on the one part, and the People's Republic of China, on the other part. During the meeting with Meng Yang, Deputy Minister of the State Administration for Market Regulation, the interaction under the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of competition policy and antitrust regulation between the Commission and the State Administration for Market Regulation of the People's Republic of China was reviewed. Key issues of digital market regulation, effective competition advocacy tools, academic events and other topics were also discussed. "Today we have taken an important step towards a more open dialogue. Cooperation in the field of competition and public procurement will allow our countries to develop best practices, which, in turn, will contribute to the growth of our economies," mentioned Maxim Ermolovich. The meetings resulted in agreements to continue cooperation, which will create a basis for further joint work and exchange of experience between the Eurasian Economic Commission and state authorities of the People's Republic of China.
10 Dec 2024 Current trends in international competition law reviewed in Moscow Advanced training of antitrust authorities' employees and specialized lawyers from the Eurasian Economic Union countries under the new program "Competition Law in the EAEU: International and Regional Approaches" took place at MGIMO of the Russian Foreign Ministry. Representatives of specialized government agencies and businesses of the Union studied current trends in international law, international and regional practices of competition (antitrust) policy, familiarized themselves with the nuances of law enforcement and rule-making activities in cross-border markets carried out by the Eurasian Economic Commission, as well as best practices of national antitrust regulation. Representatives of the EEC Antitrust Regulation Department, Department of Competition Policy and Public Procurement Policy and lecturers of MGIMO of the Russian Foreign Ministry shared their experience. Maxim Ermolovich, EEC Minister in charge of Competition and Antitrust Regulation, also spoke to the audience. "The Eurasian Economic Commission is interested in maximizing the involvement of specialists from the Union countries in the work to improve competition law and increase the efficiency of interaction," the EEC Minister noted. During the event, Maxim Ermolovich met with Anatoly Torkunov, Rector of MGIMO of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
04 Dec 2024 Maxim Ermolovich, "Cooperation between the EEC and OECD allows to participate in the discussion of the global competition agenda" A delegation of the Eurasian Economic Commission took part in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Global Forum on Competition in Paris. This year's forum discussed competition and inequality, cross-border mergers, competition law enforcement in the global food supply chain and a peer review of Thailand's competition regime. According to Maxim Ermolovich, competition in the food supply chain is of particular importance in the context of globalization. The EEC Minister noted that it is important to correctly delineate the state regulation and the natural market functioning. International cooperation also plays a significant role in addressing this issue. On the sidelines of the forum, EEC representatives met with Benoît Coeuré, the incoming Chairman of the OECD Competition Committee; Frédéric Jenny, Chairman of the OECD Global Forum on Competition; Maria Pilar Canedo Arrillaga, Curator of the OECD Regional Center for Competition in Hungary; Luz Maria de la Mora, Director of the UNCTAD Division on International Trade and Commodities; and a number of other forum participants. Early 2025 joint activities were discussed with the head of the Egyptian competition authority. Agreement was reached to sign a memorandum with the Arab Competition Network and the Saudi competition authority. Further cooperation of the Commission with the OECD and participation in events on competition were discussed. The OECD is one of the main international platforms on competition. The OECD Global Forum annually brings together heads of competition authorities from more than 100 countries, representatives of international and regional entities, and experts to discuss the global competition agenda.
29 Nov 2024 Maxim Ermolovich, "Cooperation within the ICAP framework is one of the priority areas in the field of competition on the international track" During the 57th meeting of the Interstate Council for Antimonopoly Policy (ICAP), Maxim Ermolovich, Minister in charge Competition and Antitrust Regulation of the Eurasian Economic Commission, briefed the officials of competition (antimonopoly) authorities of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries gathered in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on innovations in the law of the Eurasian Economic Union, law enforcement practice, and the work of the Competition Advocacy Commission. The EEC Minister emphasized that participation in the ICAP activities is of particular value for the Commission, as it allows to regularly exchange experience with colleagues from the Interstate Council and participate in the development of approaches on topical issues, as well as model documents in the field of competition. The event participants discussed the most notable happenings in the CIS countries in the field of competition policy and antitrust regulation, as well as the vectors of joint work to improve competition legislation and law enforcement. On the ICAP margins, Maxim Ermolovich held a working meeting with Khalilillo Turakhuzhayev, Chairman of the Committee on Competition Development and Consumer Rights Protection of the Republic of Uzbekistan, an observer state at the EAEU. The parties discussed areas of further cooperation in the field of competition policy and law enforcement. The ICAP platform provides a possibility for competition authorities of the CIS participating states and the EEC to exchange experience, facilitating synchronized efforts to improve competition law and enforcement in the CIS.  The Interstate Council for Antimonopoly Policy (ICAP) was established in 1993. It is comprised of plenipotentiary representatives of the CIS states and carries out its activities in close cooperation with the CIS Executive Committee. The work of the ICAP is primarily aimed at improving the national competition legislation of the CIS countries and its enforcement based on international best practices.
27 Nov 2024 Zhanar Adikova, "The public procurement market in the Union is subject to an inviolable principle enshrined in supranational law" Of particular importance is the work of the Eurasian Economic Commission to create a full-scale public procurement market accessible to suppliers of the Eurasian Economic Union and operating under common rules, especially given the focus of the Member States on import substitution. This was emphasized by Zhanar Adikova, Director of the EEC Department for Competition and Public Procurement Policy, in the framework of the international exhibition of non-food products NON-FOOD-ASIA EXPO 2024 in Almaty. Her speech Issues of Barrier-Free Access to Mutual Participation in Public Procurement within the EAEU was delivered on the platform organized by the exhibition's consulting center. The public procurement market in our Union is subject to the inviolable principle of ensuring national treatment in public procurement, enshrined in supranational law. Any member country of the Union has to ensure that the treatment and conditions of public procurement for goods and services from other EAEU countries are no less favorable than for its own suppliers," said Zhanar Adikova. She touched upon the issues related to the prevention of barriers in public (municipal) procurement, the procedure for confirming the country of origin in the EAEU for the purposes of such procurement, the elimination of obstacles, including through mutual recognition of electronic digital signatures for participation in public (municipal) procurement. Zhanar Adikova reminded that in 2023 the Member States signed the Agreement on mutual recognition of bank guarantees for public procurement purposes, which is very important in this respect. The Agreement eliminated the relevant restriction in the EAEU internal market, defined uniform requirements to banks whose guarantees are recognized in other countries of the Union for public procurement, approaches to creating the list of such banks, the procedure for maintaining a register of issued bank guarantees. Among the main tasks of the Commission, according to the Director of the EEC Department, is the implementation of the Agreement. As part of the center's work, representatives of government agencies of the Union countries and the Commission held consultations for entrepreneurs on exports from and imports to the EAEU. The topics included the procedure for organizing procurement, establishing joint ventures, setting commodity flow directions, interaction between product suppliers and customers.
25 Nov 2024 Maxim Ermolovich, "Digitalization of public procurement in the Union countries, ensuring their informational transparency are among our priorities" This was stated by Maxim Ermolovich, Minister in charge of Competition and Antitrust Regulation of the Eurasian Economic Commission, at the parliamentary hearings in the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus regarding the development of digital law in the country. Maxim Ermolovich reminded that the Strategy 2025 provides for digitalization of public procurement in the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union, ensuring their informational transparency, including through the provision of free access to information on procurement, the register of unfair suppliers and regulatory legal acts of Member States in the field of procurement; mutual recognition of bank guarantees, reduction of exemptions from national regimes. The fundamental role is assigned to ensuring mutual recognition of electronic digital signatures for the purpose of public procurement under the national treatment conditions. The experts of the parties are actively working on the text of the relevant Rules. The Treaty on the Union was amended to give the Council of the Commission competence to approve such amendments. The ratification process of the Agreement on Mutual Recognition of Bank Guarantees is being finalized. In order to ensure a uniform approach in confirming the country of origin for the purposes of public procurement, the Commission, jointly with the EAEU states, constantly improves the Rules for determining the country of origin of certain types of goods for these purposes. They made it possible to create a unified digital resource – the Eurasian Register of Industrial Goods – which helped harmonize the receipt of information on products manufactured in the Member States. Information from the Eurasian Register of Industrial Goods (statement) is a unified document, the provision of which ensures the unhindered participation of potential suppliers from one EAEU Member State in public procurement of another. Currently, the Eurasian Register contains information on 19,450 goods by 208 manufacturers. "The best prospects for implementing the digital agenda in public procurement are for initiatives that "grew out" of national best practices. We already have ongoing projects, such as the introduction of a new procurement method of e-store. We are striving for the transition to electronic conclusion of agreements and appealing, and speeding up procurement procedures," said the EEC Minister.
21 Nov 2024 Maxim Ermolovich, "Interaction between the Commission and the EAEU Court in the field of competition contributes to ensuring uniform application of the Union law" At the plenary session of the 7th International Conference of the Court of the Eurasian Economic Union in Minsk on November 21, Maxim Ermolovich, Minister in charge of Competition and Antitrust Regulation of the Eurasian Economic Commission, presented the work of the unit supervised by him on the development of the regulatory framework for competition regulation in the Union cross-border markets. The EEC Minister highlighted drafting the 4th Major Protocol, which provides for amendments to the Protocol on General Principles and Rules of Competition. According to him, work is underway to further improve the documents regulating the procedure for reviewing requests (materials), conducting investigations, reviewing cases of violation of general rules of competition in cross-border markets. The session paid special attention to making amendments to the Criteria for classifying a market as cross-border, which determine the division of competences between the Commission and national antitrust authorities. According to Maxim Ermolovich, "the existence of such supranational powers testifies to the EAEU legal nature as an integration association". By creating equal competitive conditions, the principle of the four freedoms is fully realized. Referring to the Commission's interaction with the EAEU Court, Maxim Ermolovich emphasized, "We carefully analyze the practice of the Court of the Union and adjust our law enforcement and lawmaking activities accordingly. Our cooperation in the field of competition contributes to ensuring uniform application of the Union law." In particular, the Commission organized the preparation of amendments to the Treaty on the Union to give natural persons the right to appeal to the EAEU Court.  
20 Nov 2024 EEC and MSU Held International Conference on Antitrust Regulation of Digital Markets A comprehensive discussion of the joint work by the Eurasian Economic Commission and the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union on shaping common approaches used in studying digital markets and the activities of electronic platforms was held as part of the International Research-to-Practice Conference held at the Faculty of Law of Lomonosov Moscow State University and chaired by Maxim Ermolovich, EEC Minister in charge of Competition and Antitrust Regulation. The conference Digital Markets in the EAEU: Relevant Matters of Research, Antitrust Regulation and Legal Support brought together representatives of antitrust authorities of the Union states, the expert community, marketplaces and technology companies (Yandex, Ozon, Wildberries, Kuper), researchers and professors of higher educational institutions, practicing lawyers from all EAEU countries. The forum was opened by Maxim Ermolovich and Professor Victor Vaipan, Vice-Rector for Innovative Scientific and Technological Development at MSU. As the EEC Minister noted, "development of digital platforms and active participation of citizens of the EAEU countries in these processes implies that we need to create competitive conditions for their activities across the Union." Sergei Puzyrevsky, State Secretary and Deputy Manager of the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia, addressed the issues of antitrust regulation of digital markets in Russia. The relevant sectoral experience was shared by representatives of authorised bodies from Armenia, Belarus and Uzbekistan. The EEC Antitrust Regulation Department presented a report summarizing national methodological approaches to digital market research, regulation and law enforcement. The thematic sessions discussed assessing the state of competition in digital markets, development of specialized model and regulatory legal acts, as well as behavior practices common for economic entities using digital (electronic) platforms in the EAEU and relevant antitrust response measures. The conference participants noted the need to gradually develop harmonized approaches to regulating the activities of digital platforms in the Union's cross-border markets. The event was organized by the EEC Competition and Antitrust Regulation Unit and the Faculty of Law at Lomonosov Moscow State University in order to improve the efficiency and scientifically justified implementation of the general principles and rules of competition enshrined in the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union in the modern digital economy.  
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