OREANDA-NEWS. October 08, 2012. The Council of the Heads of the Governments of the Commonwealth of Independent States held a meeting in Yalta. Deputy Head of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia), the Head of the Headquarters for Joint Investigations at the Interstate Council for Antimonopoly Policy (ICAP), Anatoly Golomolzin, was one of the key speakers, reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

First of all, the Head of the Headquarters made a progress report: “Earlier the Council approved two reports - on aviation and telecommunications - submitted by the CIS antimonopoly authorities. Executing the instructions of the Council of the Heads of the Governments on the first report enabled to increase air transportation by 23% in 2010, and in 2011 - by 46%: the growth rate that did not exist before”, stated Mr. Golomolzin. “Further sustainable growth of aviation transportation is possible only upon a drastic revision of the existing intergovernmental agreements on air transportation. For this purpose, the CIS antimonopoly authorities are joining negotiations between the ministries of transport”.

Executing instructions on the second report helped reducing the roaming rates within the CIS by 2.5-4 times under case investigations and initiations. Operators continue to independently reducing the rates of communications services offered for 43 European countries. Currently, the antimonopoly bodies of other countries, including Turkey and China, have joint the efforts of the CIS antimonopoly authorities.

The Council approved the third report of the Headquarters and ICAP “On the State of Competition on the Market of Services for Sale of Food Products through Retail Networks in the CIS Member-States”.

“The antimonopoly authorities of the CIS states applied a unified methodology to analyze the market of food products and highlighted the main trends and changes on this market. At the moment network supermarkets are rapidly developing, starting to control a considerable market share and accordingly predetermine the situation on these markets”, pointed out Anatoly Golomolzin.

“The most booming segment of the food products market is network supermarkets”, emphasized Anatoly Golomolzin.

According to Mr. Golomolzin, the antimonopoly authorities outline both positive and adverse effects of introducing the system of supermarkets. He explained that “the positive aspects are enhancing the quality and improving the forms of consumer servicing, attracting investments. Adverse consequences include removing retail companies from the market, particular, small and medium businesses, reducing product diversity and the forms of satisfying the demands of the population”.

“The most important problem is complicating interactions between the trade networks with agricultural producers”, added Deputy Head of FAS.

The Council recommended ICAP to assist national antimonopoly and authorized bodies regulating trading activities in the CIS member-states in developing competition in the retail market, particularly, eliminating anticompetitive agreements and discriminatory practice with regard to suppliers of similar goods.

The Council of the Heads of the Governments of the Commonwealth of Independent States coordinates cooperation between executive bodies in economic, social and other areas of mutual interests.

The Council meets two times per year; special meetings can be called upon an initiative of the government of a member-state.