- UOKiK continues cooperation with the antitrust authorities from Ukraine and Moldova.
- The project’s main aim is to support both institutions during the process of reforms and approchement with the EU.
- The project was inaugurated by meetings at UOKiK branch offices and a workshop in Warsaw attended by experts from the whole Europe.
On 5-13 September 2024, UOKiK inaugurated project “Institutional support of the antitrust authorities of Moldova and Ukraine in the development of the competition protection system”, co-financed from the funds of “Polish Aid” programme of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland. It constitutes the continuation of the activities undertaken by UOKiK last year for the Moldovan Competition Council (CC) and the Anti-Monopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU). The aim of the cooperation is to provide practical knowledge in the field of competition protection and demonstrate the best practices related to the application of competition law in Poland and the European Union. One of its important aspects is also raising competence of Ukrainian and Moldovan experts in the field of creating legislation which supports the development of the national competition protection system and adapts it to the EU acquis.
The first event was the beneficiaries’ representatives’ visit at the UOKiK branch offices in Poznań and Łódź in the job shadowing formula, which allows taking a closer look at the UOKiK experts’ workspace. During the meetings, the participants discussed specific issues from the institution’s achievements which focused on market research, commitment decisions and dawn raids.
The workshop organised on 11-13 September at the UOKiK’s headquarters in Warsaw devoted to unfair practices on the agri-food market (UTP) and antitrust issues was another element of the project. Apart from the experts from UOKiK, Ukraine and Moldova, practitioners representing competition authorities from Austria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania and Hungary participated in it. These countries, together with Poland, were the signatories of the regional agreement for protection of competition in Central and Eastern Europe, which was initiated by the President of UOKiK, Tomasz Chróstny, in 2023. Evelin Pärn-Lee, the Director-General of the Estonian Competition Authority, was the special guest. In addition, at the UOKiK’s invitation, the workshop was attended by experts from Croatia and Slovenia from the regional UTP group.
The next event as part of the project will take place in autumn in Moldova, where UOKiK will organise a three-day training session devoted to practical aspects of applying competition law.
