OREANDA-NEWS. September 17, 2012. Speaking at FAS Collegium in Kazan, the Head of FAS Igor Artemyev stated that in 2012 priorities of the Federal Antimonopoly Service had been determined by the third antimonopoly package coming into effect. Many norms of Russian antimonopoly law are adjusted in accordance with the international law, reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.  

“Where we had to tighten the law, we did it; where it was necessary to ease some of the requirements, we liberalized the law”, is convinced Mr. Artemyev.

The Head of FAS reminded that the Competition Development Programme in Russia is stuck; branch ministries and agencies do not put efforts towards development competition in their sectors. Therefore, a decision was made to form the Government Commission for Support of Small Business and Development of Competition, led by the First Vice Prime-Minister, Igor Shuvalov. The next session of the Commission is scheduled at the end of September. The first issue to be discussed by the Commission is developing competition on the market of air transportation.

“The Commission will make binding decisions for the branch ministries”, thinks Igor Artemyev.

The Head of FAS also drew attention of the attendees to the fact that a decision was made to form a 5-year plan for Gazprom. “Other natural monopolies also must have such Action Plans, which should be public”, believes Igor Artemyev.

Taking about the new institutions provided for by the third antimonopoly package, the Head of FAS gave a positive evaluation of the mechanisms of warnings and cautions.

“74% of FAS warnings from the total number of the issued warnings were executed. It is a soft, positive institution. It is good to combine it with tough antimonopoly sanctions”, believes Mr. Artemyev.

Igor Artemyev stated that in the near future FAS will adopt a number of measures designed to reduce an administrative burden and the workload upon the officers of the Antimonopoly Service.

“We will eliminate all notifications to FAS; and there will be no need to petition for transactions within the same group of persons in accordance with the Federal Law “On Natural Monopolies”, said Igor Artemyev.

The Head of FAS also discussed relatively new powers of FAS for control over procurement by natural monopolies and state-run companies. “Personally, I do not like No. 223 Law – it must be stricter. I am convinced that the work of government officials on organizing procurement is much more clean and transparent than the same procedures in the state-run companies and natural monopolies”, believes Igor Artemyev. The Head of FAS instructed the heads of FAS regional offices to considerably intensify their efforts in this field.

The Head of the antimonopoly authority specially focused on the issue related to the Law “On the Federal Contractual System”. “The 3-year standoff between the Ministry of Economic Developmental and FAS Russia is over. We have come to an agreement.”

“Now the UNCTAD recognized the Russian system of public procurement one of the best in the world”, stated Igor Artemyev. In his opinion, the Law “On the Federal Contractual System” will come into force no earlier than the first half of 2014.