OREANDA-NEWS. On May 29, 2007 in Moscow the Inter-State Council on Antimonopoly Policies (ISCAP) of the Commonwealth of Independent States' countries held its 25th jubilee session, reported the press-centre of  FAS Russia.

Opening the session, Chairman of ISCAP, Head of the Federal antimonopoly service of Russia (FAS Russia) Igor Artemiev has declared: "It is a great joy for us to host the jubilee session of ISCAP that is taking place in Moscow on the eve of the 6th annual conference of the International Competition Network". Activities of the Council are becoming more efficient every year, he said. The participants are regularly exchanging information that helps them to improve governmental policies for protection of competition as well as to elaborate common approaches to studying the markets shared by the CIS countries.

Summarizing the discussed most significant events in the CIS countries, participants at the session have noted that during the past year in a number of the Commonwealth countries (Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan) essential changes have taken place in the legislative base of antimonopoly bodies whilst in some countries (Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Tajikistan) - also structural changes aimed at enhancing the role of competition agency in shaping the national economic policies. It is general opinion that positive changes are in many ways promoted by the efforts of ISCAP to improve methodological basis underlying the activities of CIS antimonopoly bodies towards resolving practical problems in the area of developing competition.

Speaking about completion of the modern antimonopoly legislation formation process in the Russian Federation, I.Artemiev has mentioned that on May 13, 2007 the amendments to the Code of Administrative Malefactions came into force introducing "turnover" fines for the most dangerous infringements - cartels, abuse of market dominance and unfair competition involving illegal use of the results of intellectual activities. Besides that, for the first time in Russia the lenience program element is being introduced providing for amnesty of the participant in an anticompetitive agreement provided that he complies with certain conditions. Having listened to this information, ISCAP members have decided by September 2007 to collect information on the systems of sanctions for breaching antimonopoly legislation existing in the CIS, in order to review this issue at a hithermost meeting.

Besides that, participants at the ISCAP session have agreed during 2007 to set up procedures for exchanging information between the antimonopoly bodies of countries - parties to the "Agreement on pursuing concerted antimonopoly policies", have listened to the report of the working group about joint investigations in the markets common for the CIS countries and also discussed plans for future work.

Also it was decided to hold the next 26th session of ISCAP in Baku, Azerbaijan.