A press conference was held on the results of the 2023 activity of the State Service for Antimonopoly and Control over Consumer Market under the Ministry of Economy. The head of the State Service, Mammad Abbasbeyli, informed the media representatives about the measures and awareness-raising activities carried out by the institution last year in the field of competition and public procurement, improvement of the legislative framework, quality infrastructure and protection of consumer rights. It was reported that the approval of the new Law "On State Procurement" last year, as well as the adoption of the Competition Code in the third reading in the Milli Majlis, will make a significant contribution to the development of a market economy based on healthy competition, the stimulation of entrepreneurial activity in the country, and sustainable economic growth.
The State Service conducted market research on the agricultural sector, cargo services, pharmaceuticals and broadband internet services in order to analyze the competitive situation in 2023, and legal measures were taken according to the results of the competitive analysis. Last year, 48 cases on signs of unfair competition were considered, financial sanctions of up to 650 thousand manats were applied to 24 market entities that violated the law. 26 business entities voluntarily eliminated violations of the law.
Important steps taken in the direction of finalizing the transition to electronic purchases from January 1 of the current year were highlighted. It was pointed out that government procurement will be more accessible to entrepreneurs and will promote competition in the relevant field as a result of electronicization. It was announced that the amount of total purchases in 2023 will exceed 7.5 billion manats. The share of electronic purchases in total purchases was 22.4% during the reporting period. The volume of electronic purchases increased by 32.9% last year compared to 2022.
The participants were also informed about the work done on increasing the functionality of the "etender.gov.az" portal and integrating it with state institutions. It was reported that last year, the State Service implemented the integration of bank guarantees into a single internet portal of state procurement together with the Central Bank. In addition, the certificate issued by the State Tax Service to entrepreneurs has been electronicized.
Media representatives were informed about the measures implemented in the field of quality control. It was noted that the "State Program for 2023-2025 on Adaptation of the National Standardization System to International Requirements" was adopted last year. It was stated that the creation of a technical regulation system in accordance with international requirements in Azerbaijan will serve to eliminate technical obstacles in foreign trade, increase export potential, protect consumer markets from dangerous goods and establish a healthy competitive environment as a result of the implementation of the State program.
It was emphasized that 139 new state standards were adopted by the Azerbaijan Standardization Institute (AZSTAND) in 2023. This means a more than two-fold increase compared to the indicator registered last year. The Azerbaijan Accreditation Center (AzAK) accredited 85 institutions that assessed compliance during the reporting period. The Azerbaijan Institute of Metrology has recognized the type conformity of more than a thousand measuring instruments imported into the country, and information about them has been entered into the state register. 72,554 certificates of origin were issued to business entities by the State Service, which is 18.7% more than in the corresponding period of 2022.
Extensive information was provided at the meeting on measures implemented by the State Service in the field of consumer rights protection and consumer market control. It was emphasized that a total of 7,597 applications were reviewed in 2023 in the State Service in this direction, which is a 36.4% increase compared to 2022. A 26.6% increase was achieved in the level of satisfaction of applications received last year in comparison to 2022. More than 618 thousand manats were returned to consumers by business entities during the reporting period. This is 83% more than the indicator in 2022.
