OREANDA-NEWS. November 27, 2013. The meeting of the Working Group, comprising representatives of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia) and “ORORA Russia” National Non-Governmental Organization of Small and Medium Business, took place. The agenda was to discuss reduction of the number of companies with state participation on competitive markets.

Under Clause 3 of the “Road Map” for “Developing Competition and Improving the Antimonopoly Policy”, FAS must draft a proposal on stage-by-stage removal of federal state unitary enterprises from competitive markets. The primary tasks are to determine the list of such markets, the share of state-run companies on them and identify the influence of federal state unitary enterprises, state unitary enterprises and municipal unitary enterprises operating on these markets upon development of private companies and competition in general. It is also necessary to devise the methods for removing companies with state participation from these markets.

Lately the number of unitary enterprises on competitive service markets has been increasing, which restrains private entrepreneurial initiative. Such companies often have advantages in obtaining budgetary funds without tenders, or in participating in tenders and enjoy other preferences granted by the authorities.

The Working Group gave a positive assessment to FAS legislative initiatives on introducing amendments to the Federal Law “On Protection of Competition” in the part of establishing antimonopoly control over formation of state and municipal unitary enterprises and state participation in the authorized capital of economic entities, as well as to the Housing Code of the Russian Federation in the part of restricting formation of such companies in the housing & utilities sector.

Representatives of “ORORA Russia” emphasized the importance of this problem for small and medium business, the significance of developing the standards for rendering services in different fields of activities. “ORORA Russia” is ready to determine the priority markets for developing small and medium business and propose system-wide measures for reducing the number of companies with state participation on such markets.

Summing up the meeting, participants agreed on the mechanisms of further cooperation.

“Combining our efforts, we should achieve a practical effect, which will create new opportunities for developing small and medium business due to reduced participation of the state in the market sectors of the economy. This is one of the priority tasks according to the “Road Map” for “Developing Competition…”, the Standard for Developing Competition in the Constituent Territories of the Russian Federation and the Strategy of Antimonopoly Regulation for 2013-2024“, pointed out the Head of FAS Department for Control over the Authorities, Vladimir Mishelovin.