OREANDA-NEWS. February 21, 2011. At a session of the OECD Competition Committee in Paris (France), Deputy Head of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia), Mr. Andrey Tsyganov, had a meeting with the President of the Turkish Competition Authority, Mr. Nurettin Kaldirimci, reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

The parties discussed the main areas of work of the Russian and Turkish competition authorities.

The parties also reached an agreement on sharing information about changes in the national competition law, enforcement practice, and investigations related to violations of competition law with due observance of the confidentiality rules adopted in the two countries.

Andrey Tsyganov suggested expanding cooperation between competition authorities of Russia and Turkey; in particular, he invited Mr. Kaldirimci to take part in the sessions of the Interstate Council on Antimonopoly Policy (ICAP) in order to exchange experience in the field of competition law and enforcement practice.

In course of the negotiations, the parties signed the Memorandum “On Cooperation between Russian and Turkish Competition Authorities”, which defines the objective, tasks and the main forms of cooperation between the two bodies.

Both parties emphasized importance of the meeting and the need to further develop cooperation in the field of competition policy, aimed at creating favorable commercial and economic conditions for the companies in Russia and Turkey.

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During its 20-year history Turkish Competition Authority exposed and investigated several cartels on various markets, such as newspaper publishing, production of ceramics, cement, steel, bread, medications, distribution of newspapers and magazines, equipment for road traffic regulation, etc. Based on the results of the investigations, members of these cartels were penalised. Although Turkish Competition Authority experienced some difficulties when its decisions were challenged, it was able to create the law enforcement mechanism for cartel investigation. In 2000 - 2008 the total sum of the fines imposed for horizontal agreements (including but not limited by cartels, determined according to the “Regulations on Fines” and “Regulations on the Leniency Programme”) was around 11,947,606 Turkish liras (53,456,543 euro).

Turkish Competition Authority endeavours to reinforce its scope of reference to be able to request information and carry our on-site inspections by introducing amendments to the Competition Act, which, for instance, would enable all officers of the Competition Authority to search places where information can be stored (offices, software, etc.) during the maximum period of three days in course of on-site inspections.