The Competition Council of Latvia (the CC) has received the highest award at the Competition Advocacy Contest 2018-2019, organised by the World Bank Group and the International Competition Network, for the initiative to open the vehicle technical condition control market for free competition. The Chairwoman of the CC Skaidrīte Ābrama participates at the awarding ceremony in Cartagena (Colombia) that is held during the ICN Annual Conference.
The objective of this contest is to highlight the efforts by competition authorities, public and non-governmental organizations, and private sector to promote healthy competition on various markets. The CC of Latvia and its conducted market research in the field of vehicle state technical inspection was recognised as one of two winners in the nomination “Promoting competition as a tool to the fight against corruption and for an equal playing field”.
Skaidrīte Ābrama, the Chairwoman of the CC: “The Competition Council of Latvia is gratified, that our efforts to eliminate competition restrictions, which have a negative effect on more than 700 000 car owners, are appreciated on the global stage. It serves as a serious signal both for Latvia and any market economy state to respect initiatives and capabilities of private companies, providing consumers with a more beneficial service in terms of price and accessibility.”
The contest winners of 2019 were selected after examination of experience stories of 33 public and non-governmental organizations, representing in total 25 jurisdictions.