JOINT STATEMENTS TO OECD AND UNCTAD BY LITHUANIAN, LATVIAN, ESTONIAN, POLISH COMPETITION AUTHORITIES IN SUPPORT OF UKRAINE

We, the heads of the Lithuanian, Estonian, Latvian and Polish Competition Authorities, support the condemnation by our national governments of Russia‘s open large-scale aggression against an independent, peaceful, and democratic state of Ukraine.

We agree that this unacceptable act of aggression is a blatant violation of international law, of all civilized norms. It is also a crime against the people of Ukraine. So, the entire international community must firmly condemn Russia‘s aggression and impose the toughest possible sanctions in response to such outrageous acts, including Russia’s political isolation.

Russia‘s aggression violates fundamental values protected by competition policy – the well-being of citizens, businesses and society as a whole. We therefore urge the governing bodies of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Competition Committee and its working parties, as well as the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development to suspend Russia’s and its individual experts’ participation in any form at all their organised upcoming events on competition issues.

Šarūnas Keserauskas, Chairman, Competition Council of the Republic of Lithuania

Juris Gaikis, Chairman, Competition Council Republic of the Republic of Latvia

Märt Ots, Director General, Competition Authority of the Republic of Estonia

Tomasz Chróstny, President, Office of Competition and Consumer Protection of the Republic of Poland