The Development of Competition Policy in the Ukraine

Abstract

In 1991 Ukraine became an independent state, abandoned central planning, and started the transformation of its economy. The country inherited a highly monopolised structure of economy from the Soviet Union, therefore demonopolisation and the development of competition have been among the main areas where structural changes were necessary. The present study gives a comprehensive picture of the development of antitrust policy in the Ukraine from 1992 to 2002 through an assessment of evolving competition policy and examination of the policy's implementation. On the one hand, the development of competition policy in the Ukraine included the establishment of rules and appropriate procedures, as well as the creation of a proper institutional framework. On the other hand, the lack of a unified state approach to the reformation of the economy in general and to the problems of the development of competition in particular could be observed. The actions of different state organs were not synchronised, and competition policy in the Ukraine failed to become the main element of the economic policy setup.