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International cooperation

The Competition Council of the Republic of Lithuania (KT) cooperates with the European Commission and EU competition authorities in the European Competition Network (ECN).

KT is an active participant in various international forums and organizations: European Competition Authorities (ECA), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, International Competition Network (ICN), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

On 1 June 2022 the consortium consisting of the Lithuanian competition authority, State Consumer Rights Protection Authority and the Austrian Federal Trade Authority started implementing the EU Twinning project GE 18 ENI EC 02 19 in Georgia.

Lithuania and Austria will assist the Georgian Competition Agency (GCA) in the approximation of legislation with the EU acquis, strengthening of competition and consumer protection awareness among private and public stakeholders. Since according to the draft Consumer Protection Law the GCA will be responsible for the supervision of consumer protection, the team of international experts will provide necessary support enabling the GCA to completely fulfil its role as an enforcer of competition and consumer protection law, as well as become a competent and active partner in the wider community of European authorities. 

Facts and numbers:

  • Twinning partners: Competition Council of the Republic of Lithuania, Lithuanian State Consumer Rights Protection Authority, Austrian Federal Trade Authority;
  • Administrative-financial manager of the project: Central Project Management Agency;
  • Beneficiary: Georgian Competition Agency;
  • Envisaged end date: 31.05.2024;
  • Budget: EUR 1.2 million;

Press release on the project.

The project is aimed at developing a tool to detect anomalies in firms’ ownership structure that can flag high risks of money laundering, collusion, and corruption in the European single market.

Facts and numbers: 

Partners: Law enforcement agencies, asset recovery offices, anti-corruption authorities, competition authorities, and investigative journalists from 7 different EU countries (Italy, Romania, Spain, France, Belgium, Lithuania, Czech Republic). The project also involves international organisations and global networks, such as Europol and the Network of Corruption Prevention Authorities.

Project coordinator: Italian research centre Transcrime – Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

Project start: February 2022

Project duration: 24 months

Maximum grant amount: EUR 464 456.83

More information about the project https://www.transcrime.it/datacros2/

On 25 May 2020 Konkurencijos taryba started implementing the EU Twinning project UA 19 ENI FI 02 19 aimed at assisting the Anti-Monopoly Committee of Ukraine in further approximation of local competition law and procedures with EU competition rules and transfer of the best practices relating to antitrust enforcement, merger control and competition advocacy. The project was officially implemented on 24 February 2023.

Having participated as a junior partner in previous projects, this time Konkurencijos taryba implemented the project in the role of the project leader.

Facts and numbers:

  • Twinning partners: Competition Council of the Republic of Lithuania, German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy together with the Federal Cartel Office (Bundeskartellamt), Romanian Competition Council;
  • Administrative-financial manager of the project: Central Project Management Agency;
  • Beneficiary: Anti-Monopoly Committee of Ukraine;
  • Project start date: 25.05.2020;
  • Project end date: 24.02.2023;
  • Budget: EUR 1.2 million;

Press release on the project.

Press release on the implementation of the project.

The final report.

On 19 December 2018 the consortium of Lithuania and Belgium started implementing the project EuropeAid/139447/DH/SER/XK “Support to the Kosovo Competition Authority and the State Aid Commission” in the field of competition and state aid.

Facts and numbers:

  • Partners: GOPA PACE (formerly known as B&S Europe, Belgium) and Competition Council of the Republic of Lithuania;
  • Beneficiary: Kosovo Competition Authority and State Aid Commission;
  • Project start date: 15.01.2019;
  • Envisaged end date: 14.02.2024;
  • Budget: EUR 2,998,000 million.

Press release on the implementation of the project.

On 5 February 2019 the consortium of Lithuania, France and Serbia was selected to implement the project EuropeAid/139349/IH/SER/RS “Support to Commission for State Aid Control” in the field of state aid. The project was officially implemented on 12 December 2021.

In 34 months of implementation foreign partners contributed to the establishment of a new legal framework for state aid in Serbia, organised training sessions on the EU state aid rules for more than 1,100 public sector employees and on-the-job trainings in 146 local self-government units. In total, 14 workshops were held to disseminate knowledge and exchange experience of the EU member states on state aid. The State Aid Register was prepared as a database available to the competent institutions, members of the Commission for State Aid Control and its professional service have been trained to use the Instrument for Economic and Financial Analysis and the State Aid Calculator. Finally, two manuals on state aid rules were prepared within the scope of the project activities.

Facts and numbers:

  • Partners: Alternative Consulting (Serbia), DMI (France) and Competition Council of the Republic of Lithuania;
  • Beneficiary: Commission for State Aid Control of Serbia;
  • Project start date: 13.02.2019;
  • Project end date: 12.12.2021;
  • Budget: EUR 979.810.

Press release on the implementation of the project.

In 2016 the consortium of Lithuania, Estonia and Belgium was selected to implement the project "EuropeAid/137882/DH/SER/GE" on building the capacities of the Georgian Competition Agency regarding the implementation of competition law and policy. The project was officially implemented on 13 January 2020.

Facts and numbers:

  • Partners: Business and Strategies Europe S.A. (Belgija) and consortium members IBF (Belgium), DADA6 (Estonia), Competition Council of the Republic of Lithuania;
  • Beneficiary: Georgian Competition Agency;
  • Project start date: 29.12.2016;
  • Project end date: 13.01.2020;
  • Budget: EUR 2,529,800;
  • Competition Council's representatives in the project: Chairman Š. Keserauskas, Deputy Chairman E. Šatas, Deputy Chairwoman J. Šovienė, Council Member J. Ivanauskienė, Council Member D. Lurje, Executive Director A. Selčinskienė, Head of Public Entities Supervision Group J. Paulauskaitė, Head of Dominant Undertakings and Mergers Supervision Group J. Brėskytė and Senior Adviser I. Jakubavičienė, Head of Communications Division L. Navickaitė, Senior Adviser of Economic Analysis Group Š. Pajarskas.

Press release on the implementation of the project.

In 2015 the consortium of German and Lithuanian competition authorities was selected to implement the EU Twinning project “UA/49“ on strengthening institutional capacities of Ukrainian competition authority. The project was officially implemented on 28 March 2019.

The Competition Council implemented the project in partnership with the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy of Germany. Ukrainian competition authority had an opportunity to learn about the system of competition enforcement in Germany and Lithuania.

Facts and numbers:         

  • Twinning partners: Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy of Germany, Competition Council of the Republic of Lithuania;
  • Beneficiary: Anti-Monopoly Committee of Ukraine;
  • Project duration: 33 months;
  • Budget: EUR 1.8 million;
  • Competition Council‘s representatives in the project: Chairman Š. Keserauskas, Deputy Chairman E. Šatas, Deputy Chairwoman J. Šovienė, Council Member J. Ivanauskienė, Council Member D. Lurje, Head of Dominant Undertakings and Mergers Supervision Group J. Brėskytė, Head of Public Administrative Bodies Supervision Group J. Paulauskaitė, Head of Anti-competitive Agreements Investigation Group I. Urmonaitė, Head of Economic Analysis Group J. Bučys, Senior Adviser of Dominant Undertakings and Mergers Supervision Group I. Jakubavičienė, Senior Adviser Š. Pajarskas and Adviser J. Ratkevičiūtė of Economic Analysis Group, Senior Adviser E. Uogintaitė, Executive Director A. Selčinskienė.

Press release on the implementation of the project.

On 4 June 2014 the consortium of German and Lithuanian competition authorities was selected to implement the EU Twinning project "EG/ENP/FI24" on building the capacities of the Egyptian Competition Authority. The project started on 16 January 2015, finished – on 15 April 2017.

The Competition Council implemented the project in partnership with the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy of Germany. The Egyptian competition authority had an opportunity to learn about the system of competition enforcement in Germany and Lithuania.

Facts and numbers:

  • Twinning partners – Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy of Germany, Competition Council of the Republic of Lithuania;
  • Beneficiary: Egyptian competition authority;
  • Project duration: 27 months;
  • Budget: EUR 1.1 million;
  • Competition Council's representatives in the project: Head of Dominant Undertakings and Mergers Supervision Division J. Brėskytė, Head of Competition Policy Division G. Jarmalytė, Council Member J. Ivanauskienė, Chairman Š. Keserauskas, Council Member D. Lurje, Head of Public Administrative Bodies Supervision Division J. Paulauskaitė, Chief Expert of Anti-Competitive Agreements Investigation Division E. Pažėraitė, Deputy Chairman E. Šatas, Council Member, Deputy Chairwoman J. Šovienė, Executive Director A. Selčinskienė.

The Twinning project "AM/09/ENP-PCA/TP/05" on strengthening the enforcement of competition and state aid, which started on 25 January 2011 finished on 28 March 2013.

In order to achieve the goals of the project, the Competition Council experts and the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology exchanged the best practices with the State Commission for the Protection of Economic Competition of the Republic of Armenia on competition rules and implementation of the supervision of state aid, helped to prepare a report highlighting recommendations for the amendments of the existing competition legislation and state aid legislation, as well as provided seminars to the Armenian Competition Authority and other Armenian state institutions, lawyers, media.

Facts and numbers:

  • Twinning partners – German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, Competition Council of the Republic of Lithuania;
  • Beneficiary: State Commission for the Protection of Economic Competition of the Republic of Armenia;
  • Project duration: 26 months;
  • Budget: EUR 1.1 million;
  • Seminars and roundtables – 35, participants from Armenian state bodies, courts, media – 345;
  • 10 competition and state aid experts from Lithuania shared their best practices with colleagues from Armenia;
  • Competition Council's representatives in the project: Deputy Chairwoman J. Šovienė (Project leader), Adviser on Economic Analysis Š. Pajarskas (Resident Twinning Adviser in Armenia), Chairman Š. Keserauskas, Deputy Chairman E. Šatas, Council Member J. Ivanauskienė, former Council Member S. Cemnolonskis and other experts.

In order to enhance the quality of activities of Konkurencijos taryba, the authority has established a committee of academic advisers. Such right to form an advisory committee is established by the Law on Competition of the Republic of Lithuania.

Pro bono experts can be approached by Konkurencijos taryba for external advice and recommendations on matters falling within the competence of the Lithuanian competition authority, including competition law investigations. Advice and insights by advisers are valuable in analysing complex cases.

Most recent member of the committee Alminas Žaldokas, Associate Professor of Finance at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, joined the team in 2020. The committee also consists of the following members: Asta Sendonaris, economist and business strategy consultant, currently working at the Baltic–American Freedom Foundation, Ioannis Kokkoris, Professor of Competition Law and Economics at Queen Mary University of London, Matthew Bennett, Vice President of the global consulting firm Charles River Associates and Philip Marsden, Professor of Law and Economics at the College of Europe, Bruge.

ECN logo

The European Commission and national competition authorities in all EU Member States cooperate with each other and ensure the application of effective competition rules through the European Competition Network (ECN), which was launched on 1 May 2004. 

Lithuanian Competition Council is engaged in the cooperation with other EU competition authorities in cases where Articles 101 (anti-competitive agreements) and 102 (abuse of dominance) of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union are applied: the Competition Council participates in various working groups organized by the European Commission to exchange the best practices and experience.

More on ECN

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) was established on 14 December 1960 by signing a convention which transformed the Organization for European Economic Cooperation into OECD. At present the organization consists of 36 members. Besides, OECD cooperates with more than 70 countries which do not belong to the organization. Lithuania became a member of OECD in 2018.  

Lithuanian contribution to OECD:

More on OECD

The International Competition Network (ICN) was created on 25 October 2001 in New York to improve worldwide cooperation in competition policy. ICN includes 96 competition authorities from all over the world. 

The Competition Council has been a member of ICN since 2002.

More on ICN

ICN Anti-cartel Enforcement Template

ICN Merger Notification and Procedures Template

On the proposal of the Competition Council, the ICN has approved two non-governmental advisors delegated by Lithuania: Dina Lurje and Šarūnas Keserauskas.

During the second half of 2013, Dina Lurje, former Head of the Anti-competitive Agreements Investigation Division, chaired the Competition Working Group at the Council of the European Union on the Proposal for a Directive governing the actions for damages for infringements of the competition law provisions of the Member States of the European Union. Representatives of the Competition Council and the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Lithuania, as well as their colleagues from the EU also participated in the Working Group.

The Working Group managed to compose a draft for the Directive which was upheld by the EU Competitiveness Council on 2 December.

 

Last updated: 08 03 2022