OREANDA-NEWS. July 05, 2012. A FAS delegation had a working meeting with E-Control – an Austrian state government body that regulates and controls electric power industry and gas markets, reported the press-centre of FAS Russia. 

A representative of E-Control talked about the legislative framework of E-Control operations, including implementation of the “third energy package” adopted in 2009. The scope of reference of E-Control includes control of non-discriminatory access to the services of infrastructure organizations and monitoring behavior of market participants. The functions of such bodies for control over non-discriminatory access can be exercised by various authorized bodies including regulators (in Austria) and antimonopoly bodies (in the Netherlands).

E-Control operates in cooperation with Austria’s Federal Competition Authority, which in its turn is responsible for making information requests. Compliance of market participants with the national law is the prerogative of Courts of Law. Materials forwarded by E-Control to Court are considered within 5-7 months.

Representatives of E-Control also discussed a system of monitoring prices for electric power and gas, changes in the law, in particular, a practice of transition from setting tariffs for the services of electric energy transmission to differentiating charging at “entry and “exit” when using services.

Representatives of E-Control also discussed the system of price monitoring at petrol stations: information about prices in the regions of Austria is available on-line. Companies must forward information about every change of prices on retail market of oil products to E-Control.

In his turn, Anatoly Golomolzin informed E-Control about the system of non-discriminatory access to the infrastructure of electric network and gas facilities, oil transportation, other natural monopolies as well as Russia’s practice of investigating cases on violating the antimonopoly law and imposing fines upon violators.

Anatoly Golomolzin also talked about the system of price monitoring on the market of electric power industry, FAS cooperation with the Market Council on electric power industry. If necessary, FAS makes decisions to prevent price manipulations on the market.

FAS also presented information about a system of multi-level monitoring of oil products market in Russia, including daily monitoring of wholesale and retail prices and volumes of sales and storage of oil products.

Summing up the meeting, the parties agreed to continue cooperation. In view of importance of exchanging information obtained in course of the meeting, FAS and Austria’s Federal Competition Authority are discussing possibility to conclude an agreement on cooperation.

Reference:

A similar agreement was concluded with Austria’s Federal Competition Authority in May 2011, which is put into practice, in particular, under the framework of the Working Group for studying pricing on the market of oil and oil products and methods of their performance.