International cooperation

As a relatively young antimonopoly authority, the Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade of the Republic of Belarus (MART) is at the beginning of establishing cooperation with international organizations and foreign agencies in the field of antimonopoly policy, unfair competition prevention and state regulation of natural monopolies.

The main areas of the MART international activity are as follows:

• promotion of Belarusian economy integration into the world economy;
   
• protection of national interests through participation in relevant international organizations;
   
• exchange of experience and cooperation with antimonopoly authorities of foreign countries;
   
• study of foreign countries’ practice in the field of competition protection, practical application of advanced foreign experience, development of skills of the MART specialists;
   
• preparation and implementation of the projects of technical assistance from international organizations for the benefit of the Republic of Belarus.

International cooperation of the MART is aimed at the development of competition through the improvement of the national antimonopoly law using international advance expertise and best foreign practices; receiving consultations; getting to know new trends and methods of introduction of the competition law; increasing in the professional level of employees through participation in specialized conferences and seminars.

In order to develop competition and antimonopoly law, the Republic of Belarus cooperates with international organizations such as the Regional Center for Competition in Budapest of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (RCC OECD-GVH), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Interstate Council for Antimonopoly Policy of the CIS countries (ICAP).

In 2017 the MART started to cooperate with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), which is one of the most authoritative organizations that unites the countries of the world under the aegis of the United Nations. A meeting of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Competition Law and Policy (IGE), which brings together representatives of antimonopoly authorities of various countries of the world, as well as the major experts in the field of competition, is held annually within the framework of the UNCTAD. The MART has begun to participate actively in the meetings of the UNCTAD Research Partnership Platform on Competition and Consumer Protection and the sessions of the IGE.

Participation of the MART representatives in such events allows discussing experience, achievements and problems, which ultimately contributes to the strengthening of international cooperation in the field of ensuring and developing competition.

Work has begun to develop close relations with the antimonopoly agencies of other countries. To date, the MART has signed memorandums of understanding and cooperation with the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia, the State Commission for the Protection of Economic Competition of the Republic of Armenia, the Competition Council of the Republic of Moldova, the State Agency for Antimonopoly Regulation under the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Commission for Protection of Competition of the Republic of Serbia, the Competition Agency of Georgia, the Protocol on Amendments to the Agreement on Cooperation with the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine, the Competition Council of the Republic of Moldova, the State Commission for the Protection of Economic Competition of the Republic of Armenia, the Ministry of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection of the Republic of Poland (UOKiK), the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Egypt, the State Administration for Market Regulation, the Ministry of Economics of the Republic of Latvia, the Austrian Federal Competition Authority, as well as the Romanian Competition Council.

Within the system for assigning officials established in accordance with the decisions of the Government of the Republic of Belarus, the Minister of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade is responsible for coordinating cooperation between the Republic of Belarus and Egypt, Serbia, Oman, as well as Kamchatka Krai, Krasnodar Krai and Chelyabinsk Region of Russia.

DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AND APPLICATION OF NON-TARIFF REGULATION MEASURES

BELOV Eugene – Head of the Department
phone: +375 (17) 355 38 46 (additional number 1), e-mail e.belov@mart.gov.by

SHYBKO Aksana – Consultant of the Department
phone: +375 (17) 368 53 58 (additional number 2), e-mail o.shibko@mart.gov.by

ZAKERNICHNAYA Halina – Assistant of the Department
phone: +375 (17) 368 53 58 (additional number 3), e-mail: g.zakernichnaya@mart.gov.by.