Friday, 21 February 2014
Agreement on Competitive Principles and Rules Formed between CU Member States
A press conference was held today at the Government Press Center on Ministry of Economy- and SCPEC-coordinated activities aimed at Armenia’s joining the Customs Union.
Speakers were Head of Anti-Dumping Policy Affairs Working Group Ara Petrosyan, Deputy Head of Ministry of Economy-affiliated Intellectual Property Agency, Intellectual Property Affairs Working Group member Andranik Khachikyan and Deputy Chairman of State Commission for Protection of Economic Competition, Head of Competition Affairs Working Group Pavel Ghaltakhchyan.
According to Mr. Ghaltakhchyan, the agreement on common principles and rules of competition seeks to shape a single competition policy for the contracting sides. The instrument implies detecting and preventing anti-competitive practices in member States, as well as such actions as may affect cross-border market competition.
In turn, Mr. Petrosyan said that a number of special protection, as well as anti-dumping and countervailing-related measures had been taken under the roadmap of Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union, including the study of those legal instruments to be joined by Armenia while acceding to the Customs Union.
With regard to intellectual property, Armenia will have to join two agreements – the December 9, 2010 agreement on conservation and protection of intellectual property rights and the common principles of defense, the May 21, 2010 agreement on CU-member States’ unified customs register of intellectual property rights.
Andranik Khachikyan said that the intellectual property-related basic principles are set out in a number of international treaties, which have been signed by both Armenia and the CU-member States.
