2 results
Armenia (Republic of Armenia)
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- By Davit Harutyunyan, State Commission on Protections of Economic Competition Armenia, Yerevan, Armenia, Karine Poladyan, State Commission on Protections of Economic Competition Armenia, Yerevan, Armenia
- General editor Maher M. Dabbah, Queen Mary University of London, Paul Lasok QC
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- Book:
- Merger Control Worldwide
- Published online:
- 05 November 2014
- Print publication:
- 31 May 2012, pp 61-77
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- Export citation
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Summary
Relevant legislation and statutory standards
One of the main achievements of economic reform in Armenia has been the adoption of the Law of the Republic of Armenia on Protection of Economic Competition (‘the Law’ or ‘the 2000 Law’). The Law was adopted by the National Assembly on 6 November 2000 and ratified by the President of the Republic of Armenia on 5 December 2000. The initiative for the current competition legislation came from the Government and the Ministry of Industry and Trade (now the Ministry of Economy). The work on the drafting continued for 2 years and involved close collaboration between the Ministry and the relevant European Union (EU) representative office. It is worth noting that Armenia has no separate law on merger regulation and that all procedures concerning merger control (‘concentrations’) are regulated by the Law.
The primary legal bases for competition legislation in Armenia are the following:
The Partnership and Co-operation Agreement (PCA) between Armenia and the Member States of the European Community (EU), which entered into force on 1 July 1999. The PCA explicitly provides for legislative co-operation between the parties, among other things, in the field of competition. It envisages approximation of the legislation of Armenia with that of the EU.
The Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, Article 8 stipulates that the ‘Republic of Armenia guarantees freedom of economic activity and free economic competition’.
The Civil Code of the Republic of Armenia, Article 12, prohibits restriction of competition by the way of exercising civil rights.
The main objectives of the Law on the Protection of Economic Competition are the ‘protection and promotion of economic competition, provision of the appropriate environment for fair competition, for the development of entrepreneurship and protection of consumer rights’.
2 - Armenia
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- By Davit Harutyunyan, Armenian European Policy and Legal Advice Centre, Karine Poladyan, State Commission on Protection of Economic Competition of Armenia
- General editor Maher M. Dabbah, Queen Mary University of London, K. P. E. Lasok QC
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- Book:
- Merger Control Worldwide
- Published online:
- 30 July 2009
- Print publication:
- 29 May 2008, pp 9-14
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- Chapter
- Export citation
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Summary
Economic growth
In relation to the economic growth in Armenia, GDP growth rate has been at double-digit levels since 2002; real GDP growth for 2002 was 13.2%, for 2003 14%, for 2004 10.1%, for 2005 13.9%, and for 2006 13.3%.
Relevant legislation and statutory standards
The Constitution of the Republic of Armenia was amended in 2005. Article 8(2) of the new version of the Constitution stipulates that the “Republic of Armenia guarantees freedom of economic activity and free economic competition”.
The Law of the Republic of Armenia on Protection of Economic Competition (the “Law”) provides a first fundamental regulatory framework for competition assessment of economic entities in commodity markets. It prohibits concerted practices and abuse of a dominant position, regulates mergers, and deals with unfair competition and consumer protection issues, as well as state aid. It is largely aligned with the rules of the European Community (EC), in particular with those of the EC Treaty.
Decision-making bodies and enforcement authority(ies)
One of the important amendments to the Law, introduced as recently as 22 February 2007, is the granting of the right of inspection to the Commission, which will essentially enhance the powers of the Commission in terms of supervising the competitive environment. This right of inspection is expected to cause new problems for the Commission however. The Commission is not institutionally well developed and problems in relation to the internal distribution of powers of inspection within the Commission and human resources are likely to arise.