The participants will arrive from around thirty OECD member countries, as well as a large group of countries closely cooperating with that organization, including Russia, China, Brazil and Indonesia, the OECD press office reports.
Russia is one of the first non-OECD member countries whose competition laws will be discussed as a separate issue, reads the Antitrust Ministry's report posted on its official website.
"This discussion will be very topical and timely, given the current effort undertaken by the ministry to draw up a new competition bill," a ministry source said. "The OECD member countries' experience in this field could contribute to the development of an effective law aimed at bringing the Russian and foreign antitrust legislations closer together. It will help us harmonize the competition regulation system as a whole."
"The fact that Russia's antitrust bill will be discussed at the OECD Global Forum, will help create a favorable image of this country as a market economy. Russia could eventually be admitted to this influential international organization as a full member," the ministry report emphasizes.
According to the Forum organizers, it will promote an international exchange of experience in antitrust law development and enforcement, and moreover, will help work out some practical guidelines on how to remove barriers impeding a free and effective development of the economy.
This opinion is based on the conclusion that countries face similar problems going though different stages of economic development, as the submitted draft presentations suggest.
For example, the problem of protectionism and local and regional governments' competition-restricting policies is as topical for Russia and China - generally referred to as countries with transitional economies - as it is for the economically developed USA and Canada, and the developing Indonesia and Mexico.
It means that the practical experience of one of the countries gained in dealing with this problem could prove useful for all the others.
