OREANDA-NEWS. March 17, 2014. It is recognized that Russian antimonopoly authority and enforcement are in line with the best world practices. Since 2007 FAS is a member of the Steering Committee of the International Competition Network (ICN); in 2012 and 2013 Russia was on the 17th position with the “good” grade in the performance tanking of competition authorities; and in July 2013 the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) recognized that FAS meets OECD standards in the field of competition protection.

In 2013, FAS continued its efforts to draft and implement decisions changing production relations in various industries. “After the historic findings of the Supreme Arbitration Court on the market of oil products, the things in the sector are sorted out: the exchange is formed and pricing has become transparent”, said the Head of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia), Igor Artemiev, on 12th March 2014 at a session of the final, extended Collegium. “Low-cost airlines appeared in aviation, “mobile slavery” is abolished, price discrimination is eliminated in metallurgy, the Code of Conduct of Car Manufacturers and Dealers is signed, and FAS won some important cases on price manipulation on the wholesale market of electric power industry”.

The Head of FAS emphasized” We investigated prices in the pharmaceutical sector and concluded that in Russia medicines are some of the most expensive in the world. The reason is the current principle -the same chemical composition underlies different drugs that do not compete with each other. FAS thinks that it is necessary to change the pricing practice in the pharmaceutical sector and we shall present this issue to the Government”.

“Court rulings are the main indicator of enforcement efficiency. FAS wins around 60% of cases at the Courts of First Instance in the regions”, pointed out Igor Artemiev. According to the statistical data for 2010-2013 FAS won over 80% cases at the final Court Instances.

The Head of the antimonopoly body stated that “now FAS is being transformed into a body of preventative control, the institutions of warning and admonition expand significantly, which ultimately shall result in reducing the number of cases initiated by FAS focusing on the most important cases”.

As FAS mid-term objectives, Igor Artemiev emphasized increasing efficiency of both protective and active measures towards developing competition, intensifying joint international investigations and Russia becoming one of the top ten countries in the world in the field of enforcement.