On 23 October, Maxim Yermolovich, Minister for Competition and Antimonopoly Regulation of the Eurasian Economic Commission, attended the 10th Eurasian Antimonopoly Forum in Astana. In his speech, he outlined the key strategic objectives to strengthen the common competitive space of the Eurasian Economic Union and harmonise antimonopoly regulation in the EAEU.

According to the minister, the EEC next year plans to conduct a sectoral analysis of the markets of pharmaceuticals, cosmetic goods and marketplaces for signs of violations of antimonopoly legislation in the EAEU.

"We have already identified 17 markets of individual goods, which we want to study during 2025. In addition, we have identified three sectors of the Union's economy, for which a sectoral analysis will be carried out. I will say we plan to conduct it on the markets that are most sensitive for the population. These are the pharmaceutical market, the perfumes and cosmetics market and the digital trading platforms market ,’ Maxim Yermolovich said.

He stressed the importance of using the Commission as a centralised platform for disseminating the best antitrust practices. This is especially relevant for business entities registered outside the EAEU, but having an impact on the member states' markets.

In addition, the EEC Minister touched upon the issue of improving antitrust enforcement procedures, noting the need for closer cooperation between the authorised bodies of the EEU member states and the EEU court. The need to improve the efficiency of judicial procedures is a key factor in ensuring stability and predictability of the legal environment for business in the EAEU.
Special attention was paid to improving the efficiency of the EEC's work in the field of competition in cross-border markets. Maxim Ermolovich proposed to intensify the function of proactive assessment of the state of competition, especially in markets where anti-dumping measures are applied or high concentration is observed. This would allow us to identify potential threats to competition on time and take preventive measures.

As part of the speech, it was announced that a model methodology for assessing the state of competition in digital markets would be created jointly with authorised bodies of the EAEU member states, which would include the development of criteria for determining the market power of digital platforms and mechanisms for disclosing information on the activities of digital services. The importance of this area is due to the rapid development of digital technologies and the increasing role of platforms in the economy.