OREANDA-NEWS. September 23, 2013. The Head of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia) Igor Artemiev said that the key events of 2013 were adopting the Road Map for Developing Competition, the Strategy of Antimonopoly Regulation till 2024 and FAS Action Plan till 2018.

The statement was made on 11th September 2013 at an extended Session of FAS Collegium (which took place in Listvyanka, the Irkutsk region).

The Head of FAS pointed out that the Road Map for “Developing Competition and Improving the Antimonopoly Policy” approved by the Government of the Russian Federation in December 2012 became an important tactical document reflecting FAS plans for the next five years.

“We have already implemented or are implementing the majority of the measures included in the Road Map”, reported Igor Artemiev.

Another significant event was developing and approving the Strategy for developing competition and antimonopoly regulation in 2013-2024. Igor Artemiev said that to achieve and implement the goals and objectives outlined in the Strategy, FAS also drafted the Action Plan to enforce the Strategy, the first phase of which covers the period up to 2015. For this period the Plan specifies over 150 measures in all priority areas.

Talking about the state o competition in general, Igor Artemiev pointed out that the main reason for low efficiency of the measures on developing competition is the passive position of industry ministries and the heads of the constituent territories of the Russian Federation and local self-government bodies to prepare and implement a set of measures towards developing competition in the relevant sectors of Russian economy.

Igor Artemiev also said that most of the constituent territories of the Russian Federation wound up competition development programmes, their effect is insignificant and the regional standard for development competition in the subjects of the Rusian Federation had not been established.

The Head of FAS gave positive assessment to the work of the Government Commission on Competition and Developing Small and Medium Business. As examples of positive decisions made by the Commission Igor Artemiev quoted a decision on entry of foreign low-cost air carriers to the market of air transportation on international routes, permission for entry of foreign pilots to the Russian market, and an initiative to introduce non-refundable tickets. Among other positive results the Head of FAS mentioned the achievements in introducing a possibility for subscribers to keep their telephone numbers when changing providers (“abolishing mobile slavery”), giving a positive assessment to the efforts of the Ministry of Communications in this area, as well as the work for allowing to sell certain medicines through trading networks.

Igor Artemiev informed about the forthcoming amendments to the law aimed at synchronizing the leniency programmes for legal entities and officials, and intensifying cooperation with the law enforcement bodies under Article 178 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

The Head of FAS said that the amendments shall obligate the authorities to agree upon establishing state and municipal unitary enterprises with antimonopoly bodies.

“And we are not in a mood to give our permission every time. The exception is national defence and security”, said Igor Artemiev.

The Head of FAS also stated that the institutions of warnings and admonitions proved to be valuable.

“That is why we made a decision to extend them to violations of the antimonopoly law by the authorities”, explained Mr. Artemiev.

Talking about the quantitative indicators of FAS work in the first six months of 2013, Igor Artemiev emphasized a general trend towards reducing the number of initiated cases against the increasing the number of warnings and admonitions.

“FAS is being transformed from a punitive into a preventative body”, pointed out Igor Artemiev.