History of the Committee
Since the first days of Uzbekistan’s Independence the development and protection of competition have been assigned to priority areas of State policy.
As a competitive economy is vital condition for effective functioning of a market economy, basic institutional prerequisites for development of competition were created.
Along with this, the formation and institutional strengthening of the State antimonopoly body, has endowed the authority to implement State competition policy.
Competition policy in Uzbekistan: key Milestones
- July 2, 1992 – Law “On the Limitation of Monopolistic Activities” was adopted, which founded and determined shapes competition policy in Uzbekistan;
- 1992 – Main Department of Antimonopoly and Pricing Policy was established as structural part of the Ministry of Finance;
- 1996 – Committee on Demonopolization and Development of Competition under Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Uzbekistan was formed;
- 2000 – According to the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, antimonopoly body was separated from the Ministry of Finance, as State Committee, with vesting of powers empowerment to implement antimonopoly policy;
- 2005 – In order to develop and support competition, small and private entrepreneurship, according to the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the antimonopoly body was reorganized and vested with new powers;
- 2010 – according to the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, in order to strengthen antimonopoly regulation and create a healthy competitive environment, antimonopoly body was reorganized.
Given positive changes in economy, in order to strengthen institutions of antitrust authorities, improve antitrust laws in the 90s and early 2000s, such important legislative acts were developed and adopted as:
- Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On Competition and the Limitation of Monopolistic Activities in Commodity Markets” dated December 27, 1996.
Provisions of the new Law were aimed at regulating relations in two main directions:
– Monitoring and preventing abuse of monopoly position;
– creation of organizational, economic and legal conditions for the formation of a competitive environment in economy.
Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On natural monopolies” dated April 24, 1997;
Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On Protection of Consumer Rights” dated April 26, 1996.
Main reforms aimed at developing competition in the Republic of Uzbekistan
This process was carried out in three stages:
Stage 1 (1991-1999) Creation of market mechanisms for the formation of a competitive environment:
- July 2, 1992 – Law “On the Limitation of Monopolistic Activities” was adopted, which founded and determined shapes competition policy in Uzbekistan;
- 1992 – Main Department of Antimonopoly and Pricing Policy was established as structural part of the Ministry of Finance;
- 1996 – Committee on Demonopolization and Development of Competition under Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Uzbekistan was formed;
In the same year, a new version of law “On Competition and Restriction of Monopoly Activities in Commodity Markets” was adopted.
Stage 2 (2000-2010). Increasing the role of demonopolization, unbundling and restructuring of monopoly enterprises
- 2000 – according to the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the antimonopoly body was separated from the Ministry of Finance, as the State Committee, with the empowerment to implement antimonopoly policy
- 2005 – in order to develop and support competition, small and private businesses, in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the antimonopoly body was reorganized and given new powers.
- The Committee acquired a new name – the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Demonopolization, Support for Competition and Entrepreneurship.
Stage 3 (since 2010) Implementation of antimonopoly regulation in financial markets.
2010 – in order to further strengthen antimonopoly regulation and create a healthy competitive environment, in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the antimonopoly body was reorganized and its business support function was abolished.
2012 – there was a reorganization through the merger of two state committees.
In the same year, the Law “On Competition” was adopted.
In accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated January 14, 2019 No. DP-5630 “On measures to radically improve the system of state asset management, antimonopoly regulation and capital market”, as well as the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated January 24, 2019 No. DP-4126 “On organizing the activities of the Antimonopoly Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan”, the Antimonopoly Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan was created with the transfer of tasks, functions and powers to it for antimonopoly regulation, development of a competitive environment, control over the activities of natural monopoly entities, protection of consumer rights, regulation of advertising market and licensing of commodity exchanges.
Competition Promotion and Consumer Protection Committee
In accordance with the Decrees of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated December 21, 2022 UP-269 “On measures to implement administrative reforms of New Uzbekistan” and January 25, 2023 UP-14 “On priority organizational measures for effective establishing Activities of Republican Executive Bodies”, on the basis of the Antimonopoly Committee and the Agency for Consumer Protection created Competition Promotion and Consumer Protection Committee.
Also on July 6, 2023, Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan No. DP-108 “On measures for effective organization of public administration in the field of competition development and consumer protection within the framework of administrative reform” was adopted.
The resolution provides for priority areas of the Committee’s activities, the organizational structure, the Roadmap for deepening reforms in the field and transforming the system, a list of the Committee’s functions assigned to the private sector, as well as amendments and additions to some documents of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
In addition, on July 3, 2023, a new version of the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On Competition” was adopted.