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09 Jul 2025 Maksim Ermolovich presented EEC activities at UN Conference on Competition The Eurasian Commission's delegation headed by Maksim Ermolovich, Minister in charge of Competition and Antitrust Regulation of the Eurasian Economic Commission, took part in the 9th United Nations Conference to Review All Aspects of the Set of Multilaterally Agreed Equitable Principles and Rules for the Control of Restrictive Business Practices in Geneva. Maksim Ermolovich presented the Commission's activities and its initiative on competition dialogue among regional integration associations at the session “Competition and Regional Economic Organizations”. “During the meetings of regional organizations we discuss relevant matters of competition regulation at the regional level. The results of five meetings held earlier show the demand for such dialogue and the need to expand it,” Maksim Ermolovich mentioned. “As a result, we agreed to conduct a review of competition regulation at the regional level.” On behalf of the dialogue participants, the EEC Minister stated at the Conference the importance of further interaction in this field, the need for regular meetings of regional organizations organized by the Commission, and joint promotion of this topic on international platforms. He also presented the preliminary results of the ongoing review of competition regulation at the regional level. As part of the Conference, the Commission delegation held a meeting with Luz Maria de la Mora, Director of the UNCTAD's Division on International Trade and Commodities, to discuss prospects for further cooperation. The UN Conference is held every five years and is a high-level event on competition issues. Heads of relevant bodies and high-ranking officials from the UN Member States discuss, inter alia, strengthening law enforcement in this field.
03 Jul 2025 EEC and ASEAN shared experience in competition On July 3, representatives of the Eurasian Economic Commission's Competition Unit and ASEAN shared their experience in the field of competition at the online seminar "Competition Policy and Enforcement in the EAEU and ASEAN". The event was attended by Maxim Ermolovich, the EEC Minister in charge of Competition and Antitrust Regulation. He noted that the Commission's cooperation with the ASEAN Secretariat and Experts Group on Competition is consistent and beneficial to both parties. "We are interested in ASEAN experience. Attention should be paid to the ASEAN competition policy assessment system, involving calculation of country-specific indices showing perceptions of competition by business community and organizations. Also of interest is the unified portal for assessing the consequences of mergers and acquisitions," emphasized Maxim Ermolovich. The seminar moderator Armine Hakobyan, Deputy Director of the EEC Department of Competition and Public Procurement Policy, informed the participants about the work in the field of competition policy, competition advocacy and international cooperation. Sergei Maximov, Director of the EEC Antitrust Regulation Department, spoke about the experience of the Eurasian Economic Commission in controlling compliance with the general rules of competition. In turn, the participants were welcomed by Ly Sopoirvichny, Chair of the ASEAN Experts Group on Competition and Independent Commissioner of the Competition Commission of Cambodia. The event was attended by representatives of ASEAN national competition authorities and the EEC Competition and Antitrust Unit.  
27 Jun 2025 Maxim Ermolovich: "The Public Information Office Session has shown a direct, useful dialogue between regulators and market participants" On June 26, the Eurasian Economic Commission's Competition and Antitrust Regulation Unit held a public information office session for businesses on the sidelines of the Eurasian Economic Forum in Minsk. "This is the Commission's unique instrument aimed at raising awareness with businesses about the rules of competition in the cross-border markets of the Eurasian Economic Union and possibilities to participate in public procurement," emphasized Maxim Ermolovich, EEC Minister in charge Competition and Antitrust Regulation. Representatives of the business community, government agencies, and experts from the EAEU countries discussed topical issues of public procurement and competition in transboundary markets and received individual consultations from the Commission's employees. In fact, it was a direct dialogue between regulators and market participants, which helped entrepreneurs better understand the legal specifics of operating within the Union.   Moreover, representatives of not only the Competition and Antitrust Regulation Unit, but also other departments of the Commission participated in the Public Information Office Session as is customary. "We are glad that the Public Information Office Session has again invited interest among representatives of business circles of our countries and that its participants were able to get consultations on the widest range of EEC activities," Maxim Ermolovich noted.  
27 Jun 2025 EEF 2025 discussed modern competition policy issues The main challenges faced by the competition authorities of the Eurasian Economic Union countries in the context of global changes were discussed on June 26 in Minsk at the EEF 2025 panel session "Modern Competition Policy: Challenges and Prospects" involving Maxim Ermolovich, Minister in charge of Competition and Antitrust Regulation of the Eurasian Economic Commission. The event discussed the measures and mechanisms necessary to ensure competition, the role of government and business in establishing a fair competitive environment. Special attention was paid to foreign experience. Representatives of competition authorities from Iran, China and Uzbekistan shared their experience, including on rapid response to technology and market changes. A perspective on the topic was provided by the UNCTAD's Competition and Consumer Protection Officer and Director of the BRICS International Center for Competition Law and Policy. Other speakers were representatives of the national authorities of the EAEU countries. "I believe that all the tasks we set in the session have been accomplished. This event will help the Commission and the EAEU countries align further directions of joint work in the field of competition in the Union markets," summed up Maxim Ermolovich. 
27 Jun 2025 EEF 2025 discussed issues of participation in EAEU public procurement At the Eurasian Economic Forum in Minsk, a round table "Public Procurement in the EAEU: Reality, Possibilities and Prospects" was held with the participation of Maxim Ermolovich, Minister in charge of Competition and Antitrust Regulation of the Eurasian Economic Commission. The event outlined strategies and priorities of national procurement policies and issues of their balancing with the integration potential of public procurement within the Eurasian Economic Union. Mechanisms for ensuring national treatment in public procurement were discussed, taking into account the relevance of determining the country of origin and mutual recognition of electronic digital signatures for public procurement. The round table participants talked about the possibilities that Eurasian integration creates for business and the tasks for further work to expand suppliers' access to public procurement in the EAEU countries. Special attention was paid to digitalization issues, including those related to the prospects for eliminating the "digital divide" in the Union and removing obstacles to increasing the share of mutual procurement. The discussion was attended by representatives of authorized government agencies, e-commerce platforms and businesses of the EAEU countries.  
26 Jun 2025 Maxim Ermolovich, "Creation of a common market of medicines in the EAEU requires levelling competition through harmonization of price regulation" For the first time, the Eurasian Economic Commission has conducted a comprehensive study of the pharmaceutical sector development in the Eurasian Economic Union from a competitive perspective. Maxim Ermolovich, Minister in charge of Competition and Antitrust Regulation of the EEC, spoke about the findings on June 26 at the EEF 2025 session "Pharmaceutical Market Development: Access and Affordability". "The pharmaceutical sector is one of the most regulated economic sectors supranationally and nationally in the EAEU, which necessitates close antitrust control in the cross-border and national markets," said the EEC Minister.  Among the regulatory problems identified in the course of the study are differences in enforcing common EAEU regulations at the national level and uneven registration of pharmaceuticals in the Union countries under common rules, a high and non-transparent "threshold of entry" to the market, specifics of determining the interchangeability of pharmaceuticals for the purposes of public procurement. All that can create barriers for businesses and consumers. Special attention is paid to price regulation. According to Maxim Ermolovich, "today it is the national competence of the EAEU countries. However, in the context of establishing a common market of medicines in the Union, attention should be paid to differences in regulation and, as a consequence, emerging medicine price disparities. It's a challenge to competition." The study has shown that in the Union countries the largest disparities are in prices for medicines for cardiovascular diseases (up to 508%), blood and hematopoietic medications (up to 497%) and antibiotics (up to 275%). This is a consequence of differences in the subjects of state price regulation, methods for calculating price ceilings and lists of reference countries. Sometimes unfair market strategies of business entities may also take place. In this regard, it is proposed to address the possibility of creating within the EAEU a model list of medicines for the purposes of price regulation and a model methodology for calculating manufacturer ceiling prices to ensure equal guaranteed affordability of medicines for the population of the Union countries. It is also planned to start developing a "Code of Good Practices for the Pharmaceutical Sector of the EAEU" as a soft regulation mechanism to prevent anti-competitive behavior of market participants. The session participants discussed the prospects for developing the EAEU common market of medicines, the role of antitrust authorities in this regard, as well as measures for promoting the production of pharmaceuticals. The discussion was attended by Timofey Nizhegorodtsev, Deputy Head of the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia, Alexander Starovoytov, Deputy Minister of Health of Belarus, Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, Kaarmanbek Baidavletov, Deputy Minister of Health of Kyrgyzstan, Adlet Tabarov, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Salidat Kairbekova National Research Center for Health Development of the Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan, heads of specialized associations and pharmaceutical companies, representatives of expert and academic communities. The session was attended by representatives of businesses and government authorities from China, Cuba and Myanmar. In 2024, the pharmaceutical sector within the EAEU amounted to $30.9 billion, of which 66% is accounted for by the pharmacy (retail) segment and 34% by public procurement. Meanwhile, the pharmacy segment accounts for 3% of total retail sales of goods in the Union. Public procurement of medicines accounts for 7% of the total public procurement in the EAEU. In the EAEU countries, the pharmaceutical production in manufacturer prices in 2024 amounted to RUB 948 bn or USD 10.2 bn. The production growth rate in Russian rubles is +18%. 
25 Jun 2025 Maxim Ermolovich Presented Competition Advocacy Commission's Work to Presidium of the EAEU Business Council The main instruments of competition advocacy actively used by the Eurasian Economic Commission within the Eurasian Economic Union, were discussed by Maxim Ermolovich, EEC Minister in charge of Competition and Antitrust Regulation, at the June 25 meeting of the Presidium of the EAEU Business Council in Minsk. Maxim Ermolovich focused on the activities of the Public Reception Office of the Competition Unit, meetings in the 5+1 format, participation in forums, conferences, seminars, round tables and various methodology initiatives. Separately, the EEC Minister dwelled on the work in the information space and on the issues of international cooperation. Maxim Ermolovich made a number of proposals on the development of the EEC interaction with several business associations of Belarus in order to establish direct operational communication with Belarusian businesses and improve the efficiency of work. The meeting of the Presidium of the EAEU Business Council opened the business program of the Eurasian Economic Forum. The meeting agenda items range from improving the business climate and removing obstacles in the domestic market to partnerships with third countries. The Presidium of the Business Council of the Eurasian Economic Union comprises the largest business associations of the EAEU countries. It discusses and coordinates Eurasian economic integration issues.
19 Jun 2025 Interaction and exchange of experience in competition discussed by EEC and Myanmar Armine Hakobyan, Deputy Director of the Department for Competition and Public Procurement Policy of the Eurasian Economic Commission, presented the EEC activities in the field of competition policy at the meeting of the joint working group on interaction between the Commission and the Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. The meeting was held as part of the St. Petersburg Economic Forum. Myanmar reported that, following the entry into force of Myanmar's Competition Law in 2017, it established the Competition Commission that gained considerable experience to date and took its rightful place in the government system. Myanmar is interested in cooperating with similar agencies of the EAEU states and the EEC competition unit. "The Myanmar Competition Commission comprises representatives from various ministries and agencies. For us, this is an interesting, unusual approach to the structure of a competition authority. It is certainly useful for us to familiarize ourselves with its work," Armine Hakobyan noted. The meeting participants addressed organizational issues of interaction, as well as cooperation in other key economic areas in accordance with the previously concluded Memorandum between the Eurasian Economic Commission and the Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.
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