On 3 September 2024 a regular meeting of the BRICS Working Group for the Research of Competition Issues in Food Markets was held in Johannesburg as part of Russia`s BRICS Chairship. The meeting on the margins of the 18th Annual Competition Law, Economics and Policy Conference, was organized by the Competition Commission of South Africa from 3-5 September 2024 in Johannesburg (South Africa).
The co-chairs of the BRICS Working Group for the Research of Competition Issues in Food Markets are the FAS Russia and the Competition Commission of South Africa.
The meeting of the BRICS Working Group for the Research of Competition Issues in Food Markets gave participants the opportunity to discuss the most pressing issues of food security and competition policy in this area; factors that have a negative impact on the state of competition in the agricultural market of the BRICS countries and partner countries, as well as the role of international cooperation in addressing issues of competition in the agricultural sector.
The event was planned to engage representatives of BRICS competition authorities, involving other foreign countries, interregional and international organizations.
Speakers:
- Hardin Ratshisusu, Deputy Commissioner, Cmpetition Commission of South Africa;
- Alexey Ivanov, Director of the BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre;
- Andrey Tsyganov, Deputy Head of the FAS of Russia;
- Carolina Saito da Costa, Head of the Antitrust Analysis Unit of the Administrative Council for Economic Defense of Brazil (online);
- Qi Shuanglin, Director of Antimonopoly Enforcement Department of the State Administration for Market Regulation of China;
- Rowan Wael Aziz, Economic Researcher of the Egyptian Competition Authority (online);
- Teresa Moreira, Head of the Competition and Consumer Policies Branch at the United Nation Conference on Trade and Development (online);
- Babagana Ahmadu, FAO Representative in South Africa
and others.
The BRICS Working Group was established in 2015, when Russia held the BRICS chairmanship. The group was engaged in researching competition issues in global food markets. It was then that the format of work was tested for the first time, in which the scientific circles of the BRICS countries united to assist antimonopoly agencies. The scientific and expert support to the BRICS Working Group on Food Markets is coordinated by the International BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre and includes antitrust and agri-food market regulation scholars from all BRICS countries.