OREANDA-NEWS. May 25, 2011. Representatives of the Department of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia) for Control over the Authorities received a delegation of the largest global producers of alcohol products (Bacardi, Brown-Forman, Diageo, Pernod Ricard) and the heads of the leading European alcohol associations (the European Confederation of Spirits Producers, the European Committee of Wine Enterprises, the Wine and Spirits Trade Association, the Scotch Whisky Association, the Association of Swedish Spirits and Wine Suppliers), reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

At the meeting FAS officers discussed their plans towards protection of competition and cooperation with the federal executive bodies and business community in course of the work of the Expert Council for developing competition on the market of production and sale of alcohol products, including expert examination and drawing conclusions about normative legal acts.

In their turn, members of the European Union delegation shared their experiences of regulating the market of alcohol products in Europe. Giving the examples of the UK and Sweden, they illustrated relationships between business community and market regulators.

The European delegation specially focused on the problems that companies have to face when trying to extend their licenses, in particular, lack of procedural transparency.

The parties also discussed the issues of non-conformity of the draft Technical Regulations “On Safety of Alcohol Products” and the “Technical Conditions for Storing Alcohol and Alcohol-Containing Food Products, Pre-Packed for Consumers” to the European standards.

Summing up the meeting, Vladimir Mishelovin, the Head of the FAS Department, pointed out: “Alcohol market in Russia is a complex mechanism that has many shortcomings, including regulatory problems. FAS Russia is open to productive cooperation, experience exchange and a constructive dialogue with everybody who contributes to developing competition on the market of production and sale of alcohol products and creating favourable competitive environment”.