OREANDA-NEWS. On January 11, 2009 the Government of the Russian Federation submitted in due order the draft Federal Laws "On Introducing Amendments to the Federal Law "On Protection of Competition" and Some Other Acts of the Russian Federation" and "On Introducing Amendments to the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Violations and Some Other Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation" to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

The draft legislation constitutes the so-called "second antimonopoly package" devised by the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia).

New provisions included in the draft laws introduce considerable changes to the antimonopoly legislation. The draft laws incorporate FAS Russia's proposals, supported by the Government of the Russian Federation, on improving the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Violations in terms of administrative liability of state and municipal officials in the form of disqualification, as well as liability of the officials of the state authorities and local self-government bodies for violating the antimonopoly legislation.

The government also supported FAS Russia's initiative on increasing the threshold of company's assets or turnover for the purposes of control over economic concentration. A preliminary approval will be required if the total asset value of the buyer exceeds seven billion Rubles, or the buyer's turnover exceeds ten billion Rubles.

This measure will considerably reduce administrative burden over many small and medium businesses. A preliminary approval for the purposes of control over economic concentration will not be required for transactions on buying plots of land, buildings, constructions, and unfinished buildings and construction in progress.

New laws also clarify provisions of Article 11 of the Federal Law "On Protection of Competition" in terms of its application to the "vertical" agreements between economic entities.

Igor Artemyev, the Head of FAS Russia, said: "These proposals will considerably reduce administrative burden on medium-size businesses and enable antimonopoly bodies to focus their efforts on serious violations of the antimonopoly legislation".