OREANDA-NEWS. February 14, 2011. Moscow hosted the AlcoCongress, which took place in the “Expo Centre” Exhibition Centre under the theme: “Alcohol Market. - The 2011 Problem. - Searching Solutions”, reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

Representatives of the State Duma, the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia), legislative bodies of the constituent territories of the Russian Federation, as well as representatives of the self-regulated organisations, unions, associations and companies from various regions of Russia.

The Congress discussed a set of measures towards increasing government regulation of production and sale of alcohol products, including the main amendments to the Federal Law “On State Regulation of Production and Sale of Ethylene, Alcohol and Alcohol-Containing Products”.

Participants showed a keen interest towards discussing the issues of obtaining and re-registering licenses (the period for filing applications for extending licenses and the period for their consideration, tightening the requirements for the warehouses to store alcohol products). Speakers pointed out that the companies within the industry are concerned with the current situation when documents can be returned on the basis of any non-significant facts and the companies have to file them several times, while each time officers from Rosalcoholregulirovanie (the Federal Service for Regulating the Alcohol Market) find a new excuse to return the documents.

The Congress also discussed possible market trends for 2011 and the ways to cut down on illegal sales of alcohol products in Russia and alcohol dependability of the population.

Speaking at the AlcoCongress, the Head of the FAS Russia’s Department for Control over the Authorities, Mr. Vladimir Mishelovin, said: “We support the active position of the business –community to form self-regulating organisations, which would take responsibility and exercise the functions for control product quality. One of the main goals of FAS Russia for 2011 is to help the business-community to establish an open dialogue with the authorities. FAS Russia, as the guarantor of development of competition on the market of production and sale of alcohol products, will protect the interests of even the smallest companies, either incumbents or just trying to enter the market”.