Representatives of Belarus competition authority studied FAS experience in tariff regulation

Belarus antimonopoly officers got support of their Russian colleagues in the issues of improving tariffs on the markets of natural monopolies and competition development

On 4 - 6 April 2017 representatives of the Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade (MART) of the Republic of Belarus underwent FAS training * on tariff regulation.

Elena Sinelnikova, Head of Department for Price Methodology, Analysis and Forecasting, and Alina Kazachenko, Deputy Head of Department for Regulating Natural Monopolies, Fuel-and-Energy Complex and Transport, from Belarus were received by top officers of FAS sectoral Departments.

Head of FAS Department for Electric Power Industry, Dmitry Vasiliev,  informed MART delegates about the stages of reforming the electric power industry in Russia, the supervisory functions on this markets and the tariff-setting control procedure.

Head of Transport Regulation Department, Adilia Vyaseleva, had a working meeting with Belarus officers to discuss the functions and powers of public authorities on the government regulation in transport, including tariff regulation, the procedure for interaction between the Central and regional bodies.

The delegates studied prospective approaches to tariff regulation in different sectors, particular, tariff reviewing procedure and the decision-making procedure to review tariffs. This information was presented at a meeting with the staff of FAS Regional Tariff Regulation Department where Yulia Yudina is in charge.

Belorussian antimonopoly officers also visited FAS Information-and-Technical Centre, where they found out about its activities, the principles of electronic documentary flow system and corporate data transfer network, the procedure for engaging the Centre in market surveys and analysis carried out by FAS Departments.  Top officials of the Centre expressed their readiness to offer assistance to the Byelorussian colleagues in devising in-house IT-projects.

On the final training day representatives of Belarus competition authority were received by Deputy Head of FAS Anatoly Golomolzin. The parties discussed new tariff policy in Russia: after the report of Anatoly Golomolzin, who chairs the Headquarters, at a recent session of the Intergovernmental Council on Antimonopoly Policy this subject was included in the list of pressing issues to be considered on a regular basis. Information was given on developing exchange trading in Russia with export contract for Urals crude. Development of common EAEU oil, oil products, natural gas markets and establishing the common exchange space was discussed.  Giving an example of the Exchange Committee, that MASRT delegation had visited a day before, Anatoly Golomolzin suggested possible forms and methods of cooperation in this sphere.

The Belorussian delegation conveyed their gratitude for the opportunity to study FAS experience on tariff regulation on the markets of natural monopolies and regional tariff regulation, development of market relations in the fuel-and-energy sector.

*The training is organized under the Memorandum of Understanding in the field of competition policy between FAS and the Republic of Belarus of 27 September 2016.