YEREVAN. – In the first 9 months of 2011, the Armenian State Commission for the Protection of Economic Competition (ASCPEC) authorized 87 penalties, and total fines comprised 230 million drams ($604,980 US). ASCPEC Chairman Artak Shaboyan stated during a briefing with news reporters on Tuesday. In his words, in the past year the number of such decisions were 30 and the fines were not more than 10-15 million drams ($26,303-39,455).    

According to Shaboyan, businesses now appeal the majority of these decisions, and this trend is especially striking this year, since the penalties for violating rules of competitiveness have become substantially severe. And as per Artak Shaboyan, that is why the role of the judicial system is extremely important.      

To note, EU experts and Armenian judges jointly held, in Yerevan on Tuesday, a seminar discussion devoted to competitiveness in the judicial system. 

Administrative Court of Armenia Judge Argishti Ghazaryan also gave some clarifications on this matter, and expressed a conviction that Armenia’s judicial system is fairly competent with respect to issues concerning competitiveness. And with regard to the fact that some court cases on unfair competition last fairly long—more than 1 year—Ghazaryan noted that each case requires objective examination, and there is no such boundary which sets aside the particularity of the case.