EURASIAN ANTitrust FORUM 2023

Almaty, Kazakhstan
InterContinental Almaty Hotel
20-21 April 2023
The Forum has become a high-level professional platform for the exchange of knowledge and experience between state authorities, the expert community and businesses on competition and antitrust regulation in the national and cross-border markets of the Eurasian continent
Traditionally, the Forum participants include heads of antitrust authorities of the Union’s member states, representatives of the Competition Directorate of the European Commission, the Court of the European Union, UNCTD, OECD, the International Competition Network, judges of the EEU Court and Kazakhstani courts, leading experts and corporate lawyers
The Eurasian Antitrust Forum - the main event in the sphere of development of competition and antimonopoly regulation on the territory of the EAEU - has been in Kazakhstan since 2014.
From 2014 to 2022, the organizer of the Forum was the Competition Protection Center. This year the Forum will be held under the auspices of the newly created Eurasian Alliance of Antimonopoly Experts.
Key topics
Алматы
  • /
    Current problems of competition development in the eurasian region. The role of the state in the economy
  • //
    Specifics of review of disputes related to the violation of antitrust law
  • ///
    Impact of antitrust regulation on the investment climate
  • ////
    Practical measures to prevent and reduce antimonopoly risks
  • /////
    Pricing of dominant companies in the modern world: challenges for antitrust regulation
  • //////
    Problems of development and protection of competition in the agricultural markets
Speakers & Moderators
  • Marat Omarov
    Chairman of the Agency for Protection and Development of Competition
    of the Republic of Kazakhstan
  • Bakhyt Sultanov
    Member of the Board – Minister in charge of Competition and Antitrust Regulation of the Eurasian Economic Commission
  • Erna Hayriyan
    President of the Court of the Eurasian Economic Union
  • Venera Seitimova
    Judge of the Court of the Eurasian Economic Union
  • Beibut Shermukhametov
    Judge of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan
  • Erlan Alzhan
    Deputy Chairman of the Agency for Protection and Development of Competition of the Republic of Kazakhstan
  • Aleksey Sushkevich
    Director of the Department for Antitrust Regulation of the Eurasian Economic Commission
  • Askar Kishkembaev
    Head of Department of the Agency for Protection and Development of Competition of the Republic of Kazakhstan Astana city
  • Anatoly Golomolzin
    Adviser to the President of the PJSC TransContainer and Delo Group on antitrust issues
  • Jafar Babayev
    Main adviser head of the state service for Antimonopoly and Consumer Market Control under the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan
  • Aliya Jumabayeva
    Managing director of the Central Asian Electric Power Corporation
    Member of the Board of Eurasian Alliance оf Antimonopoly Experts
  • German Zakharov
    Partner, Alrud Law firm
    Member of the Board of Eurasian Alliance оf Antimonopoly Experts
  • Viorica Carare
    President of Associated Law Bureau ”Cărare Viorica & Partners”
    Member of the Board of Eurasian Alliance оf Antimonopoly Experts
  • Irina Knyazeva
    Head of the Research Center for Competition policy and economics at the Siberian institute of management – the Russian Presidential academy RANEPA
    Member of the Board of Eurasian Alliance оf Antimonopoly Experts
  • Aldash Aitzhanov
    President of Competition Protection Center JSC
    Chairman of the board of Eurasian Alliance оf Antimonopoly Experts
  • Elena Dobriyan
    Vice-President of Competition Protection Center JSC (Kazakhstan)
    Member of the Board of Eurasian Alliance оf Antimonopoly Experts
  • Alexey Ivanov

    Director of the International BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre

    Director of the HSE — Skolkovo Institute for Law and Development
  • Yelena Bychkova
    Adviser to the Chairman of Digital Kazakhstan Association
    Member of the Board of Eurasian Alliance оf Antimonopoly Experts
  • Vitaly Dianov

    Member of the Board Council of the Antitrust Experts Association

  • Evgeny Khokhlov
    Partner Antitrust Advisory
  • Alexander Egorushkin

    Partner Antitrust Advisory
  • Natalia Korosteleva
    Partner, Head of Competition Law Practice, EPAM Law Offices
  • Evgeny Bolshakov
    Partner, Competition Law Practice,
    EPAM Law Offices
  • Anna Kornilova
    Head of Competition for
    Central Asia of Kinstellar
Speakers & Moderators
Marat Omarov
Chairman of the Agency for Protection
and Development of Competition
of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Bakhyt Sultanov
Member of the Board – Minister in charge of Competition and Antitrust Regulation of the Eurasian Economic Commission
Erna Hayriyan
President of the Court of the Eurasian Economic Union
Venera Seitimova
Judge of the Court of the
Eurasian Economic Union
Beibut Shermukhametov
Judge of the Supreme Court of the
Republic of Kazakhstan
Erlan Alzhan
Deputy Chairman of the Agency for Protection and Development of Competition of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Aleksey Sushkevich
Director of the Department
for Antitrust Regulation of the
Eurasian Economic Commission
Askar Kishkembaev
Head of Department of the Agency for Protection and Development of Competition
of the Republic of Kazakhstan Astana city.
Anatoly Golomolzin
Adviser to the President of the PJSC TransContainer and Delo Group
on antitrust issues
Jafar Babayev
Main adviser head of the state service for Antimonopoly and Consumer Market Control under the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Aliya Jumabayeva
Managing director of the Central Asian Electric Power Corporation
Member of the Board of Eurasian Alliance оf Antimonopoly Experts
German Zakharov
Partner, Alrud Law firm
Member of the Board of Eurasian Alliance оf Antimonopoly Experts
Viorica Carare
President of Associated Law Bureau
”Cărare Viorica & Partners”
Member of the Board of Eurasian Alliance оf Antimonopoly Experts
Irina Knyazeva
Head of the Research Center for Competition policy and economics at the Siberian institute of management – the Russian Presidential academy RANEPA
Member of the Board of Eurasian Alliance оf Antimonopoly Experts
Aldash Aitzhanov
President of Competition Protection Center JSC
Chairman of the board of Eurasian Alliance оf Antimonopoly Experts
Elena Dobriyan
Vice-President of Competition Protection Center JSC (Kazakhstan)
Member of the Board of Eurasian Alliance оf Antimonopoly Experts
Alexey Ivanov

Director of the International BRICS

Competition Law and Policy Centre

Director of the HSE — Skolkovo Institute for
Law and Development
Yelena Bychkova
Adviser to the Chairman of the Digital Kazakhstan Association
Member of the Board of Eurasian Alliance оf Antimonopoly Experts
Vitaly Dianov

Member of the Board Council of the

Antitrust Experts Association

Evgeny Khokhlov
Partner Antitrust Advisory

Alexander Egorushkin

Partner Antitrust Advisory
Natalia Korosteleva
Partner, Head of Competition Law Practice, EPAM Law Offices
Evgeny Bolshakov
Partner, Competition Law Practice,
EPAM Law Offices
Anna Kornilova
Head of Competition for
Central Asia of Kinstellar
agenda
20 APRIL
SESSION 1
CURRENT PROBLEMS OF COMPETITION DEVELOPMENT IN THE EURASIAN REGION. THE ROLE OF THE STATE IN THE ECONOMY


Moderator
Alexey Ivanov
Optimization of State Participation in the Economy is one of the important directions of competition development in the CIS and Eurasian Economic Union. Is it timely, given the geopolitical situation, to reduce state participation and the limits of this reduction? What measures to denationalize the economy and create a level playing field for all market players are the most effective in different countries? What role is assigned to antimonopoly authorities in the process of denationalization of the economy? The tasks of de-monopolization as well as improvement of competition law and modern trends in competition protection will be discussed by the heads of antimonopoly regulators of Eurasian countries, experts, and businessmen

Key issues:

- Modern trends of competition protection
- State support for entrepreneurship
- Demonopolization
- Yellow Pages Rules as an instrument of reducing the state in the economy
- Problems of asset transfer in a competitive environment
- Optimization of the list of activities for the quasi-public sector
- Impact of antitrust regulation on the investment climate

Plenary session. Speakers' presentations
SESSION 2
SPECIFICS OF REVIEW OF DISPUTES RELATED TO THE VIOLATION OF ANTITRUST LAW


Moderator
Askar Kishkembaev
Consideration of disputes on violation of antitrust laws is difficult for courts of all instances and jurisdictions. The difficulty is the need for the judges to examine and evaluate the validity of economic documents (the results of the analysis of the state of competition, the definition of monopolistically high (low) price, economic calculations submitted by a market participant, etc.). The problems are also related to the preparation by the subjects of the market of the evidentiary basis, confirming the absence of violation of the legislation. The judicial corps and practicing experts in the field of antitrust regulation permanently think about ways to ensure the validity of court decisions in antitrust cases

Key issues:

- Procedures for detecting violations of competition law
- The impact of legal positions taken by the courts of the Eurasian region on law enforcement
- The problems of proof in reviewing cases of violations of
- Problems of Proof in Cases of Antitrust Law Violations
- The role of expertise in antitrust disputes
- Difficulties with appeals against certain acts and actions of antimonopoly authorities

Joint discussion of the problematic issues of law enforcement
SESSION 3
PRACTICAL MEASURES TO PREVENT AND REDUCE ANTIMONOPOLY RISKS


Moderator
Aliya Jumabayeva
Anti-monopoly compliance measures as a systemic tool to reduce antitrust risks have been widely introduced in the system of regulatory provisions and methodological recommendations in the EAEC countries. However, they are not always comprehensible for businesses, and the need to integrate compliance into companies' management systems and obtain the regulator's approval raises disputes. How do regulators view anti-monopoly compliance and how ready are they to support the development of this institution? Practical problems and unsolved issues of antimonopoly risk reduction will be discussed by the representatives of antimonopoly authorities, consulting companies, and market players

Key issues:

- Procedure for implementation of antimonopoly compliance
- Commercial Policy as a Systemic Element of Antimonopoly Compliance antimonopoly compliance. The main approaches to its development and contents.
- Coordination of a compliance act with the anti-monopoly authority
- Evaluation of the effectiveness of antimonopoly compliance
- Reduction of liability subject to the compliance system
- Notification as a way to reduce antitrust risks
SESSION 4
PRICING OF DOMINANT COMPANIES IN THE MODERN WORLD: CHALLENGES FOR ANTITRUST REGULATION


Moderator
Viorica Carare and Aleksey Sushkevich
A dominant or monopolistic market position as a general rule is not a violation of the law. Abuse of one's position can be manifested by entities in terms of pricing. The establishment of monopolistically high (low) prices, violation of the order of pricing, and unjustified price discrimination are the most common violations of the antimonopoly legislation in the post-Soviet area. In its turn, a lot of questions and misunderstandings arise with regard to the methodology of calculation and selection of approaches to the determination of monopolistically high (low) prices by the antimonopoly body. The questions of the variability of pricing methods, including dynamic or drop-by-drop methods, the limits of their application by dominant companies, and the limits of non-compliance with the antimonopoly legislation will be discussed at the session

Key issues:

- Trends in pricing, modern methods, and the limits of admissibility of their use by dominant companies
- Approaches of competition authorities to the recognition and proof of dominant abuse in the form of monopolistically high prices or price discrimination
- Issues of "extraterritoriality" of pricing and application of the antimonopoly legislation
- Liability of the dominant for abuse of dominant position in the form of monopolistically high prices or price discrimination

Speakers' presentations
21 APRIL
ROUND TABLE
Problems of development and protection of competition in the agricultural markets

Participants of the roundtable will present and discuss the results of the latest market analyses in the agricultural sector of the EAEC member states and BRICS countries, exchange positive experiences in identifying signs of violations of antitrust laws, discuss the development and protection of competition in the markets of agricultural products and seed production, breeding; issues of market monopolization; transboundary; availability and removal of barriers to market entry; activities of food chains and problems of their regulation.
TRAINING
BUSINESS TRAINING/DEALING GAME
Antimonopoly authorities and practicing lawyers will conduct a practical session for the market participants on building a strategy of interaction with the antimonopoly authorities. Participants will have the opportunity to practice identifying their risks and developing measures to reduce and/or eliminate them.
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Registration open until APRIL 15, 2023
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Kazakhstan, Almaty
InterContinental Almaty Hotel
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