Kazakhstan joins OECD Competition Committee

    By Eric Piermont
    Kazakhstan has been admitted to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Competition Committee, the country's Ministry of National Economy said Wednesday.
    "Kazakhstan's antitrust agency has been accepted as a member of the OECD Competition Committee. The vote took place on June 17, 2016. During the last stage, Kazakhstan was contested by Croatia and the Philippines," the ministry said in a statement.
    Kazakhstan is not an OECD member, however, the organization's Competition Committee admits observers from non-member states in order to promote antitrust reforms.
    Kazakhstan, which has become the first Central Asian country to become a member of the Committee, will be able to take advantage of the OECD's research and analytic materials, as well as borrow its accumulated experience and implement advanced antitrust practices already in use in the world's top economies, the ministry added.
    The OECD was established in 1961 to advance growth-oriented policies. With 35 members, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan, the organization also has partnerships with major emerging economies, including Brazil, China and India.
    The OECD Competition Committee is an antitrust policy discussion forum which holds three meetings annually. The Committee's work focuses on holding roundtable sessions, publishing reports and recommendations for the OECD Council, according to Sputnik News.