Adam Grzeszak from "Polityka" and Andrzej Tomczak from TVP2 channel won the fifth edition of the "Libertas et Auxilium" contest. The President of the Office presented the special jubilee award to Konrad Niklewicz from "Gazeta Wyborcza"

"The world of an American is as large as his newspaper...", Albert Einstein used to say. Refering to the quotation, Małgorzata Krasnodębska-Tomkiel, the President of UOKiK, during the awards gala emphasised the role of the media in creating information, influencing public opinion and education. The fifth edition of the "Libertas et Auxilium" contest for journalists paid homage to journalists’ contribution in dissemination of knowledge on competition and consumer protection.

The contest, organised by the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection in cooperation with Adam Smith Center, the Polish Journalists Association and the Institute of Journalism of the University of Warsaw, was aimed at awarding the best press articles as well as radio and television broadcasts in two categories - consumer protection and competition protection. The winning works were selected by the board presided by the President of UOKiK. The choice was very challenging, since 143 works of different style and genre had been submitted for the contest. When selecting the winners, the board took into account the journalists’ craft, significance of the works for public opinion, their innovative nature and content. The winners received cash prizes of total gross value amounting to PLN 24,000 as well as diplomas with drawings by Henryk Sawka and Szczepan Sadurski.

In the competition protection category, the article "Pomówmy o zmowie" ("Let’s talk about collusion") by Adam Grzeszak, published in May 2009 in "Polityka" weekly magazine, received the majority of votes. In a masterful way, the author described the mechanisms of operation of undertakings applying anticompetitive practices. In the opinion of the board, such texts change the perception of the law not only among practitioners, but also undertakings. Articles "Szarża na Sobieskiego" ("Raid on Sobieski") by Wojciech Surmacz from "Newsweek" weekly magazine and "Jak uniknąć kar za zmowy cenowe" ("How to avoid fines for price collusion") by Adam Makosz from "Dziennik Gazeta Prawna" daily were awarded with distinction in this category.

In the consumer protection category, the report "Kuchenka Państwa Michałków" ("The stove of the Michałeks") by Andrzej Tomczak, broadcast in March 2009 in Ekspres Reporterów magazine, was decided the winner. Nominations in this category also included articles "Jak wygrywać konkursy" ("How to win tenders") by Tomasz Molga from "Wprost" weekly magazine and "Nie myślcie, że to ściema" ("Don’t you think it’s a sham") by Tomasz Grynkiewicz and Piotr Miączyński from "Gazeta Wyborcza" daily.

To mark the 20th anniversary of UOKiK celebrated this year, the President of the Office granted an additional award, a Jubilee Award, to Konrad Niklewicz from "Gazeta Wyborcza". It is a special award paying homage to journalists’ contribution in dissemination of knowledge on competition and consumer protection. For over 10 years Konrad Niklewicz has been writing about economic and commercial issues, promoting the rules of unrestricted market competition among undertakings. He is the author of many outstanding articles on competition protection, proving that such matters are not only his work; they are his passion. His articles on collusions on the construction and insurance markets, which enabled UOKiK to detect and liquidate unlawful agreements, can be most certainly considered a landmark.

Appropriate implementation of the antitrust policy and consumer policy would not have been possible without cooperation with the media. Publicising unlawful actions of undertakings often brings greater and faster effect than the fines. The role of mass media in educating all market participants on their rights and obligations is also considerable. Therefore cooperation with the media is an important area of UOKiK’s operation. Consequently, approximately 76,000 articles and broadcasts on competition and consumer protection have appeared in the last 6 years.

The award ceremony took place today in Warsaw. The ceremony was preceded by a debate on the 20 years of competition protection in Poland, with e.g. Jarosław Sroczyński, the founder and first director of UOKiK’s Branch Office in Krakow, at present partner at Markiewicz & Sroczyński law firm, Jacek Socha, former Minister of State Treasury and Chairman of the Polish Securities and Exchange Commission, currently Deputy Chairman at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Poland, Robert Stanilewicz from TVN CNBC Biznes, and entrepreneurs: Jacek Kosuniak from Telekomunikacja Polska and Robert Podleś, President of COBI.

The debate was closely linked to UOKiK’s jubilee publication entitled „Changes in Competition Policy over the Last Two Decades”, promoted by the Office during events related to the anniversary. The book describes transformations in Poland in the last 20 years, from the planned economy to the free market, with emphasis on the institutional competition protection. The publication can be found at the Office's website.

Additional information for the media:
Małgorzata Cieloch, Spokesperson for UOKiK
Department of International Relations and Communication
Pl. Powstańcow Warszawy 1, 00-950 Warszawa
Tel.:(+48 22) 827 28 92, 55 60 106, 55 60 430
faks (+48 22) 826 11 86
E-mail: [SCODE]bWFsZ29yemF0YS5jaWVsb2NoQHVva2lrLmdvdi5wbA==[ECODE]