COMPETITION IS VITAL

Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis attended 9th Annual Conference of International Competition Network that was held in İstanbul.

In the opening speech of the conference, Bagis said about the works of changing the Constitution that "Nothing can stand against the change. We wholeheartedly believe the truthfulness of what we do since Turkey, day by day, advance towards becoming a more contemporary, more prosperous, more democratic, more transparent country, and since it adopted competition not only in the business life but also in the political life as required by the EU standards."

Egemen Bagis expressed that competition could only be possible in the atmosphere of freedom and rule of law, and the existence of freedoms could enable the players to reach the best, and he also added that the existence of freedoms could merely be plausible if there was a well functioned, liberated and efficient legal system.

Bagis said that "This conference can guide us on the subject of Competition Policy Chapter that we plan to open during the accession process of EU in 2010".

Expressing that there was equality, innovation and diversity in competition, Bagis emphasized that, given the principle of equal opportunities as a base, the competition also enabled to separate the good from the bad and to gain favor to the good. Bagis declared that "In our culture and civilization, the competition must be people oriented, and must be a concept that target to reach the best for all."

Underlining that there cannot be any development without competition; Bagis said that "If competition does not exist, laze comes out. This is the same both for the countries and for the companies. It is, surely, not a coincidence that the most developed and the most prosperous countries of the world have the oldest rules of competition. Yet, the law of competition not only provides the well functioning of the market, but also allows countries, cities and sectors to gain worldwide competitive capacity

Bagis expressed that an important step was taken in order to implement the rules compatible with the EU regarding the issue of state aids which was the second important step on the competition policies, and the Draft Law on State Aids was sent to the Assembly, and that it would allow us to get fully adapted to the EU acquis having the most advanced competition rules. Bagis continued as follows:

"Those who have tried to use politics as a tool for monopolization for their own interests in Turkey for 7.5 years were played out. The ones who have wanted to conduct the economy under their own control were also played out. In all these areas, the unfair competition atmosphere that has been formed against our nation was ended. Today there is a fair and free setting for everybody in Turkey.

With our new Constitution package, Turkey's competition ambiance will be strengthened; in all fields, fair and equal competition opportunity will be provided.

On the same way, our National Union and Brotherhood project is also directed on this aim.

The problem of competition is not only an economical problem but also a problem of democracy, culture and human rights. I believe that EU member Turkey will be cleaned from the troubles about democracy and human rights and will be more competitive."

Source: AA