ANATOLY GOLOMOLZIN DISCUSSED THE PROSPECTS OF TARIFF REGULATION IN THE DIGITAL ECONOMY

Tariff regulation should be smart, easy, electronic, fair, decreasing, strategic, balanced and distributed.

The conclusion was reached in the course of 2025 foresight forecasting by regional regulators, regulated companies and experts by 2025. Deputy Head of FAS Anatoly Golomolzin, announced it on 5 December 2017 during the session on new approaches to tariff regulation at the III International Research-to-Practice Conference – “Antimonopoly Policy: Science, Practice”.

Anatoly Golomolzin believes that FAS initiative on the new tariff policy influenced the position of the business-community and regulators at the foresight forecasting. He explained how the new tariff policy has been implemented, and how it is possible to ensure availability of the regulated services and enhance efficiency of the work of regulated organizations. He touched the aspects of improving the law and enforcement practice and informational support.

“We also talk about the need for long-term tariff regulation designed not only to account for long lifecycle of infrastructure but also for structural reforms, long-term innovative economic development”, emphasized Anatoly Golomolzin. He pointed out that commercial market infrastructure has been created and new price indicators are being formed in regulated and competitive sectors in the electric power industry, gas, oil and oil products, and transport.

“The concept of “natural monopolies” is being transformed since the conditions are changing on regulated markets, and the relationship between regulated and adjacent competitive markets is dynamic”, said Deputy Head of FAS. “We also talk about the need to immerse tariff regulation in “the digital”. It concerns not only automating consideration and decision-making on tariff applications. The work of the regulator should be built up in view of the growing scale of digitalization in regulated sectors as well as in the economy in general”.

Anatoly Golomolzin gave an example of developing the so-called “energy internet”, where a complex of technologies and business models enables flexible interaction of everybody with everybody (traditional participants, professional consumers, conventional consumers managing their demand) within the energy system.

Attendees included representatives of expert and business communities from Russia and antimonopoly bodies of different countries.

Vladimir Tupikin, Deputy Chairman of the “Market Council” Non-Profit Partnership, discussed possibilities and challenges of tariff regulation in the electric power industry.

Tot Tomas, Head of Statistics and Analysis, the Department for Regulating the Electric Power Industry and the Housing-and-Utility Sector, Hungary, focused his presentation on renewable energy sources. The long-term EU strategy puts on the agenda defining the optimal forms for support of renewable energy sources and the conditions of their commercial use.

Elena Ivanovich, Director of Legal Affairs, Serbian Agency for Regulating Telecommunications and Postal Services (RATEL), explained the role of the Agency in regulating telecommunications and postal services, and decision-making on changing and terminating tariff regulation in view of the findings of market analysis.

V. Grishin, Rector of Plekhanov Russian Economic University, presented new approaches to tariff regulation in science and education.

Anna Mazur, an advisor, the Control Department, Estonia Competition Authority (ECA) reported on the key aspects of tariff regulation and control of the dominant position of the entities, whose tariffs were deregulated in the course of structural reforms.

Garegin Bagramyan, Head of Tariff Policy Department, the Office of the Commission for Regulating Public Services, Armenia, discussed the work of a multi-sector regulator.

Tot Christian, Head of International Relations, the Department for Regulating the Electric Power Industry and the Housing-and-Utility Sector, Hungary, made a presentation about gas markets.

Water supply was one of the items discussed by the experts. Following the presentation by Executive Director of the Russian Association of Water Supply and Water Drainage, Е. Dovlatova, the participants agreed to cover the issue of establishing the water market at one of the next sessions. Understanding water supply as a public service sector means that this sector should be seen as a market of a limited aquatic environmental resource.