Knowledge transfer from the Slovak partners in the field of competition and state aid

From 13 to 14 May 2015 the Competition Council officials conducted a study visit to Bratislava (Slovakia) under the Project "Study visit of the Moldovan experts to Slovakia, sharing best practices of Slovakia in state aid procedures and law enforcement", implemented with the support of the Slovak Agency for International Development (Slovak-Aid) and the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Moldova.

The Moldovan delegation included: Olesea Grosu – Head of the State Aid Monitoring and Reporting Department (ASER), Veaceslav Focşa – Deputy-head of the Horizontal State Aid Department (ASO), Olesea Magaleas - State Controller of the ASER Department, Ecaterina Macarevici - Senior State Controller of the Anticartel Department (DA), Stanislav Munteanu - State Controller of the Sectorial State Aid Department (ASS), and Eugeniu Zaporojan - Senior Consultant of the External Relations and European Integration Unit (REI).

The purpose of the visit was to get acquainted with the best practices of the European Commission and the Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic in the field of state aid.

During the meeting with the Directorate for State Aid of the Ministry of Finance there where approached aspects on developing the annual report on state aid, the experience of the Slovak Republic in state aid during the pre-accession phase, the standards implemented by European authorities in reporting and monitoring State aid, the role of local authorities in the implementation of state aid legislation, and the Slovak experience in developing state aid schemes.

Also, the Competition Council representatives have attended the conference ”Current Trends in Slovak and European Competition Law", organized by the competition authority from Slovakia. During the conference, the experts from Slovakia, Czech Republic, UK and the EU Commission have discussed about recent updates in European competition law, the latest decisions of antitrust authorities and courts in the field of antitrust, the conduct of inspections according to the Slovak and European law, the economic approach towards vertical effects (analysis in the sphere of antitrust and mergers).

The expertise and knowledge acquired by the Moldovan experts will be useful for the further harmonization of competition law and state aid to the acquis communautaire.

This project is a continuation of the bilateral cooperation, under the agreement between the Competition Council of the Republic of Moldova and the Competition Authority of the Slovak Republic.

Competition Council

20 May 2015