Office for Competition and Consumers Protection

In 1995 the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection commenced co-operation with the Federal Antimonopoly Service of the Russian Federation. The continuation of this undertaking was the signing a Co-operation Programme for the years 2006-2007 between the OCCP and the Federal Antimonopoly Service of the Russian Federation on 19^th January 2006. The Programme will be implemented on the basis of the governmental agreement on co-operation for development and enhancement of common actions in competition policy.

The Parties co-operate by exchanging information on binding legal acts, educational and training materials, as well as reports concerning analyses and control of particular markets. Under a new agreement, the co-operation will also include proceedings in cases of practices restricting competition and the jurisdiction relating to these issues, as well as the improvement of legal solutions in the field of antimonopoly law.

Link to the announcement

---

The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection has for many years actively co-operated with the German Antimonopoly Authority (Bundeskartellamt), both by exchanging experts and information on the conducted antimonopoly proceedings.

On 21-23^rd June 2005 the OCCP organised a study visit hosting twenty five German experts. They had an opportunity to get acquainted with the OCCP’s activities and the Polish competition protection law, as well as with Polish experts conducting antimonopoly proceedings in similar cases.

In November 2005 the OCCP organised a visit of Polish experts to Germany.

“Competition Protection System” Twinning Project

The Twinning Project “Competition Protection” (PL 2004/IB/FI/02) is financed from the EU funds of the Transition Facility Programme and implemented by the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection and the German Ministry of Economics and Technology. Partners involved on the German side are also: Bundeskartellamt (Federal Antimonopoly Authority), Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency) and Zentrum für Europäische Integrationsforschung (Center for European Integration Studies).

The main objective of the project is to organise trainings and provide consultations for the employees of the OCCP, other state institutions and the Polish courts in competition law (competition violating practices, abuse of dominant position and concentration control), state aid and sectoral regulation (mainly the development of competition on telecommunication, energy and railway transport markets).Trainings for civil and administrative courts and special meetings with judges of the Competition and Consumer Protection Court are also arranged.

Additionally, the project assumes the dissemination of knowledge on the EU competition law among academics and entrepreneurs (so-called awareness raising activities).

On 28th October 2005 a scientific conference, organised in co-operation with Poznań representation and Adam Mickiewicz University, was held in Poznań. During the event, current problems of the Polish and European competition protection law were tackled. A publication comprising speeches of the Polish and German speakers participating in this conference has been published.

So far, nine trainings and workshops have been organised with the participation of 121 OCCP’s employees, as well as 19 trainings for 414 judges and:

- a workshop for 26 OCCP’s employees, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Treasury and the Industrial Development Agency on state aid aiming at rescuing and restructuring of endangered enterprises,
- a workshop for 31 employees of the OCCP and the Office of Electronic Communications on competition policy in telecomunication sector,
- a training for 26 employees of the OCCP, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Treasury and the Industrial Development Agency on state aid in mining sector. 
 
Formal opening of the Twinning Project took place during the conference entitled “Competition law: present state and current trends of changes" organised on 16th February 2006 in Warsaw. Its guests of honour were, among others, the President of the Bundeskartellamt, Ulf Böge and the Director for Policy and Strategic Support of the Directorate General for Competition of the European Commission, Emil Paulis, who currently also performs the duty of the General Director of the Directorate.

---

On 11^th January 2006 the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection signed a Co-operation Programme for the year 2006 with the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine.

It will serve as the basis for organising study visits enabling the exchange of experience in conducted antimonopoly proceedings and current affairs.

---

“Consumer Protection System” Twinning Project

The twinning projects between Poland, Great Britain (leading partner) and Denmark (co-operating partner) under the Transition Facility programme (ref. no.: PL2004/IB/OT/04) from the EU funds concerns the “Consumer Protection System" project.

The project is addressed to the employees of the OCCP, the Trade Inspection, consumer non-governmental organizations, arbitration courts and consumer ombudsmen. The main objective is to provide support for all beneficiaries in their efforts for more effective implementation and improvement of consumer protection system.

Since March 2006 within the framework the Project some workshops addressed to Trade Inspection employees have been organised in selected Polish cities. They will concern general security of products and market surveillance.

Additionally, an international conference is to be held, during which the participants will discuss the horizontal dimension of consumer policy and the influence of competition law on the weaker market participants.

---

 In 2001 the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection signed a co-operation agreement on consumer protection with the General Inspectorate for Consumer Protection of Hungary, which assumes mutual exchange of experience, experts and information, with particular emphasis on the market surveillance.

Additionally, the parties obliged themselves to provide each other with publications and detailed studies on consumer protection. The agreement also presumes a possibility of adopting common positions of Poland and Hungary to be presented internationally.

---

On 28^th February 2006 a visit of Vietnam administration representatives, including the Ministry of Trade, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Transport and the National Committee for International Co-operation took place on the OCCP’s premises.

The participants of the meeting were briefed on the structure and the competence of the OCCP as well as with the legislation changes relating to competition policy, and the process of liberalisation of specific markets in Poland.

---

On 23-24th February 2006 employees of the OCCP met with the representatives of the Directorate General for consumer protection of Castile and La Mancha Regions (Spain) with a view to develop co-operation in the scope of consumer protection. Additionally, meetings with the employees of the Consumer Federation and the European Consumer Centre have been organized.

The Directorate General for consumer protection deals with protection of collective consumer interests, market surveillance and supports consumer organizations. In order to render consumer protection more effective, the Directorate co-operates with institutions with similar range of competence based in the EU member countries and the Latin America.

---

On 6-8^th February 2006 the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (OCCP) hosted a study visit for experts of Turkish government administration.The visit concerned market surveillance system and was organised within the Technical Assistance Information Exchange Instrument (TAIEX) of the European Commission.

Among the speakers were experts of the OCCP, Trade Inspection, Ministry of Finance, Agricultural and Food Quality Inspection, Labour Inspectorate, Central Laboratory of Technical Research of the Office of Electronic Communications, Chief Sanitary Inspectorate