BRICS Antimonopoly Centre Opens at HSE
This summer, the HSE-Skolkovo Institute for Law and Development opened a new division - the BRICS Antimonopoly Centre. It will engage in applied research and expert analysis aimed at improving competition policies and strengthening antitrust regulation in the BRICS economies. The Centre will also coordinate the activities of the BRICS member states’ competition authorities and scientific communities.
The first steps towards launching the BRICS Antimonopoly Centre were made by the HSE - Skolkovo Institute for Law and Development team back in 2015. According to the Director of the Institute, Alexey Ivanov, breakneck globalization has brought about an abnormal situation, whereby the global market operates in the absence of common competition rules. Hence, a host of irregularities and malpractices that had been successfully restricted at the national level have ‘spilled over’ into the global market. Over the last three or four years, the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service, in collaboration with the HSE - Skolkovo Institute for Law and Development, has been actively involved in enhancing cooperation among the BRICS countries in the area of antitrust regulation.
What has been achieved so far? The HSE - Skolkovo Institute for Law and Development launched a food market regulation project in cooperation with the BRICS competition authorities. It also held joint seminars and conferences which resulted in the signing of the first agreement outlining cooperation between the BRICS nations in the area of antitrust regulation.
With this track record, the Institute established itself as a leading expert during talks over the acquisition of Russia-based American ‘Monsanto’ by German industry giant, Bayer. The Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service, which had the final say in the agreement, insisted on a number of provisions aimed at strengthening competition in agro-industries. First and foremost, Bayer pledged to transfer a number of its digital solutions and seed selection technologies to Russian agricultural companies. Such a regulatory decision, reflecting the BRICS countries’ economic agenda priorities, has set a revolutionary precedent for the world.
Along with the food market regulation project, which was very successful, new workgroups were formed jointly with the BRICS competition authorities in order to pursue cooperation in pharmaceutical and digital markets regulation. The President of the Russian Federation also signed a resolution endorsing the founding of the BRICS Antimonopoly Centre on the HSE premises, which will be charged with the preparation and organization of the BRICS Conference on Antitrust Regulation, due to take place in Moscow in 2019.
‘Our ambition,’ says Alexey Ivanov, ‘is to transform the Centre into an international body for cooperation among the BRICS countries’ competition authorities that will perform functions similar to those of the OECD (Organisation on Cooperation and Development) Competition Committee. This would primarily involve collecting data (including sensitive files) from the BRICS countries’ competition authorities, determining best practices and - most importantly – issuing recommendations and formulating approaches to competition policy that fully comply with the demands of the BRICS economies and build on the expert knowledge and scientific research provided by the BRICS member states. Moreover, we are planning to establish a Scientific Board at the Centre that will bring together internationally recognized scientists, as well as to set up a Supervisory Board, consisting of one representative of each of the BRICS countries’ competition authorities’.
To begin with, the BRICS Antimonopoly Centre will draw on staff resources at the HSE — Skolkovo Institute for Law and Development. The Chief Research Fellow of the Institute for Law and Development, Ioannis Lianos, will spearhead the Centre’s scientific research, while Alexey Ivanov will be responsible for the general supervision of the Centre’s activities. The Centre will be working in close cooperation with other HSE science and research units that possess state of the art expertise in relevant fields, most notably the Department of Applied Economics at HSE’s Faculty of Economic Sciences, and the Institute for Competition and Market Regulation.
Ioannis Lianos
See also:
The Future Through the Eyes of Young Scientists
A delegation of teachers and students from the HSE Campus in Nizhny Novgorod participated in the IV Young Scientists Congress and the IX BRICS Young Scientists Forum held in Sochi. These two key events of the Russian Decade of Science and Technology brought together representatives of the academic and university community, state corporations, private businesses, and public organisations to envision the future of Russian science through the lens of the younger generation.
‘We Need Our Own AI Models Trained on Local Data’
The digitalisation of the economy and the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies pose new challenges for antitrust authorities worldwide. Major players in the AI market, equipped with significant resources, can block new entrants and set anti-competitive prices. Additionally, the use of AI raises increasingly complex ethical questions for which the global community has yet to develop answers. These and other issues were discussed at the Third BRICS+ Digital Competition Forum.
‘It Is Hard to Imagine High-Level Interpretation Being Entrusted to a Machine’
In 2024, Russia chairs BRICS, an international organisation comprising nine countries. Throughout the year, dozens of forums, working group meetings, and BRICS sessions took place across various Russian cities. As an interpreter, Ksenia Prosyukova, Associate Professor at the HSE School of Foreign Languages and Candidate of Science (PhD) in Pedagogy, participated in several BRICS events. In an interview, she discussed the personal responsibility of working at high-level events, the challenges and prospects of her profession, and how HSE University trains in-demand translators.
BRICS Representatives Discuss the Development of Statistics in Member Countries
The significance of statistics in today’s digital age has reached a new level. Many decisions at government and business levels are based on data analysis. However, there is a mixed perception of official statistics, which negatively affects trust in public policies. The heads of BRICS statistical agencies discussed this issue and ways to address it at a forum in Kazan, where a representative from HSE University also participated in the event.
‘Geographical Distance No Longer a Problem’: ISSEK Fosters Cooperation with Think Tanks in BRICS Countries
In September, the HSE Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge hosted an international working meeting with representatives from Brazilian, Egyptian, and Indian think tanks. The participants discussed opportunities for cooperation, including joint surveys, comparative studies, databases, and publications on foresight, technology, and innovation. It was also decided to draft a multilateral agreement to establish the BRICS Foresight Association.
HSE Experts Take Part in the First International Workshop on Technological Sustainability of BRICS
On September 19–20, Skoltech hosted the First International Workshop on Technological Sustainability of BRICS: University-Industry Partnerships, organised jointly with HSE University Human Capital Multidisciplinary Research Center. The meeting was held as part of the BRICS working group on technology foresight and science and technology studies.
HSE Researchers to Develop BRICS Exchange System Together with Chinese Experts
HSE University International BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre and the Competition Policy and Assessment Centre founded by the State Administration for Market Regulation of China signed a cooperation agreement. The parties agreed to come up with proposals for the development of exchange trade in goods and raw materials between Russia, China, and the BRICS countries.
‘What Makes BRICS Effective Is Its Diversity’: HSE University Representatives Begin Work at EEF
HSE University Vice Rector Victoria Panova spoke at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF 2024) that began in Vladivostok. The topic of her speech was the expansion of BRICS.
'Staying Open to New Challenges and Opportunities Is Crucial'
The Tenth BRICS Youth Summit was held in Ulyanovsk from July 22 to 26. The event was attended by more than 200 early-career professionals from Brazil, India, China, Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, South Africa, and Russian regions. Participants gathered to discuss current global issues and explore opportunities for youth collaboration. Students of HSE University who attended the Youth Summit shared their impressions with HSE University Life.
HSE University Launches Consortium of BRICS Law Schools
The HSE Faculty of Law hosted an online meeting with law schools and expert centres from BRICS countries. The purpose of the event was to join efforts to advance legal science and practice for the benefit of the organization. To this end, at the initiative of the Dean of the Faculty of Law Vadim Vinogradov, a Consortium of BRICS Law Schools was established, comprising representatives of leading higher education institutions from a number of countries.