On March 16, 2005, a round table on the topic 'Control over the provision of state aid to economic entities as a component of state competition policy' will be held at the National Bank of Ukraine.

On March 16, 2005, a round table on the topic "Control over the provision of state aid to business entities as a component of state competition policy" will be held at the premises of the National Bank of Ukraine. This event has been organized within the framework of the EU technical assistance programme under the project "Legal and Institutional Framework for Competition Protection in Ukraine" in cooperation with the Delegation of the European Commission in Ukraine and the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine. Members of the Government, People's Deputies of Ukraine, representatives of relevant ministries and agencies, as well as international experts on competition policy and legislation have been invited to participate in the round table. It is expected that the session will be opened by the Ambassador and Head of the Delegation of the European Commission in Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus, Mr. Ian Boag, and representatives of the Directorate-General for Competition of the European Commission and well-known experts from Germany, Poland and other EU member states will take part in the discussion of the proposed topics.

The discussion on the formation of a system of control over the provision of state aid in Ukraine is timely in view of Ukraine's relevant commitments under the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Communities and Ukraine, as well as in view of the Ukraine-EU Action Plan approved on February 21 of this year, which defines the main directions of bilateral relations between the EU and Ukraine for the next three years.

Control over the provision of state aid to business entities is one of the key components of modern EU competition policy. The European Commission defines mechanisms for preventing EU member states from granting aid and privileges to individual business entities if this may lead to unjustified distortion of competition in the common market. Policy in the field of control over the provision of state aid is closely linked to many other political, economic and social interests of society, such as providing the population with services of general use, equalizing the welfare of the population in regions differing in level of economic development, employment of the population, innovative development of industry, environmental protection and preservation of the national cultural and historical heritage of the people.

The organizers of the round table hope that the reports of European experts and the discussion with Ukrainian politicians and government officials will draw the attention of the authorities to the need for the speedy introduction of an effective system of control over the use of budget funds and the granting of privileges and subsidies to individual business entities. The formation of such a system in Ukraine is an element of establishing a regime of equal opportunities for entrepreneurs and, as a consequence, expanding the opportunities for the population to enjoy the benefits of a market economy.