ALEXEI DOTSENKO: NATIONAL PROJECTS SHOULD BE EXECUTED BASED ON THE COMPETITION PRINCIPLES

FAS is organizing a workshop of FAS regional Offices in the North-West Federal District in Syktyvkar on 4-5 June 2019

It focuses on implementing antimonopoly compliance in the work of the atrocities and local self-government bodies, practice of suppressing anticompetitive agreements and other basic aspects of executing the National Competition Development Plan that have an impact upon the procedure for implementing the National Projects.

Opening the workshop, Deputy Head of FAS Alexei Dotsenko pointed out that the Komi Republic has achieved positive results pursuing the National Plan’s targets. The main objective of the Plan is to improve the life quality of the population in Russia.

For example, Komi has increased presence of private companies and the share of customers satisfied with the services on the markets of retail trade with medicinal drugs, psychological-and-educational counseling services for children with disabilities, and the market of social services for the population.

Also, in 2018 violations by the authorities in Komi reduced by 5% against 2017.

Deputy Head of FAS Alexei Dotsenko said: “I can’t help but state that Komi fulfills all tasks strictly on time. The institution of preventing violations of the antimonopoly law is implementing in all regional executive bodies and in 80% municipalities”.

Acting First Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Komi Republic – Chief-of-Staff of the Head of the Republic Mikhail Poryadin clarified that Komi had fully introduced the Competition Development Standard, adopted the Road Map, and observes the norms of the antimonopoly and procurement laws, competitive procedures in granting the right for regional property.

The Republican Government is in close cooperation with FAS on developing competition in the region; the relevant agreement was concluded in July 2018.

Currently every Ministry in Komi is made responsible for developing competition in a particular market, and a motivation system was introduced in local self-government bodies.

Deputy Head of FAS Legal Department Igor Antonov answered the questions from the event participants – representatives of FAS regional Offices in North-West Federal District in the part of implementing antimonopoly compliance, evaluating and analyzing the risks of violating the antimonopoly law.

He described the statuses of draft laws prepared by FAS. The draft law on prohibiting unitary enterprises, the fifth antimonopoly package, the draft law on abolishing intellectual immunities and a new draft of the law on control and supervision, prepared by the Government of the Russian Federation, generated vivid discussions.

Head of Enforcement Practice and methodology Team, FAS Anti-Cartel Department, Ekaterina Konopkina, outlined practices of exposing and suppressing anticompetitive agreements in procurement. She highlighted the main collusion elements and sources of information about anticompetitive actions.

Other speakers included Deputy Head of Komi OFAS, Head of Advertising and Unfair Competition Control Unit, Elena Lapitskaya, and Head of Anti-Cartel Unit, St Petersburg OFAS, Kristina Ivaschenko.

The event was moderated by Head of Komi OFAS, Natalia Gurevskaya.

Summing up the results of the first workshop day, Alexei Dotsenko emphasized that such events help work out unified enforcement practice in the field of the antimonopoly law, public procurement and countering cartels.

Deputy Head of FAS concluded: “I also would like to draw attention to the importance of close control over observing competitive approaches to executing the national projects and competition principles, particularly, involving economic entities in fulfilling them”.