OREANDA-NEWS. April 20, 2010. Creating real competition on the market of oil products requires development of a legal framework, said Igor Artemyev, the Head of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia) speaking at the "government hour" at the Council of Federation, of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

"Oil companies should be made legally obligated to have separate accounting of costs and revenue for wholesale and retail sale of the main types of oil products, provide possibilities for direct contracts for the companies that are not members of the groups of persons of vertically-integrated companies, and hold open tenders for oil products through an electronic trading site or a commodities exchange", thinks Igor Artemyev.

FAS Russia also proposes to introduce a ban for combining wholesale and retail sale of oil products by the same persons.

"It is necessary to introduce a ban for buying and building service stations in municipalities for the companies, whose share on the local market exceeds 35%, as it was done for trade networks and advertisers", is convinced the Head of FAS Russia.

According to Igor Artemyev, in 2009 FAS Russia initiated 99 cases for the signs of abusing dominance on the markets of oil and oil products, in 59 cases the fact of violations was confirmed (in 2008 FAS Russia initiated 67cases, in 35 of which the facts of violations were confirmed 35, and in 2007 - 10 cases were initiated and in 8 cases violations were confirmed).

Following the ruling of the court hearings won by FAS Russia, the violators paid over 144 million Rubles to the budget as fines.