OREANDA-NEWS. May 04, 2012. A meeting of the heads of BRICS competition authorities had a meeting on 18th April 2012, in Rio-de-Janeiro. The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia) was represented by Stats-Secretary, Deputy Head of FAS, Andrey Tsarikovsky, the Head of FAS Department for International Economic Cooperation, Lesya Davydova, and Deputy Head of FAS Department for International Economic Cooperation, Andrey Yunak, reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

The parties informed each other about the main areas of the work of competition authorities, functions, the scope of reference and structure, and discussed the main tasks in the field of competition enforcement under the framework of cooperation between BRICS competition authorities.

Andrey Tsarikovsky informed participants about the latest changes in Russian antimonopoly law (“the third antimonopoly package”). Participants also considered the prospects of cooperation under BRICS format, in particular, possibility to moving to action-oriented cooperation between the authorities in terms of joint investigations of violations of the competition law and investigating transactions on cross-border markets. Such cooperation will take place in joint BRICS Working Groups on the most pressing issues of competition policy in such sectors as air transportation, pharmaceuticals, and car spare parts.

Brazil put forward an initiative to devise a draft Agreement on Cooperation between BRICS competition authorities, which would give detailed description of information exchange mechanisms. The proposal received positive response from the participants.

Ashok Chawla, Chairperson of India’s Competition Commission, informed the parties how Indian competition authority was preparing to the 3rd BRICS Competition Conference, which will take place in Deli in November 2013. Andrey Tsarikovsky offered to provide advisory assistance to India’s Competition Authority to help prepare to the event.

Overall, the heads of BRICS competition authorities emphasized very effective cooperation between competition authorities, as part of bilateral cooperation as well as under BRICS format.