FAS proposes measures to increase national economic security

In 2016 the Gaidar Forum had a session on antimonopoly law. For the first time the largest national economic event discussed specialized legal issues.  

Speakers at the session on “Monopolism: benefit of threat to national security?” included Deputy Head of FAS Alexander Kinyov, Deputy Head of FAS Andrey Tsyganov, Deputy Head of FAS Sergey Puzyrevsky, and an assistant to the Head of FAS Alexei Sushkevich and the Head of FAS Anti-Cartel Department.  

In the course of the expert discussion Deputy Head of FAS Alexander Kinyov outlined FAS initiatives to strengthen national economic security.

FAS representative pointed out that in the global antimonopoly practices cartels are considered one of the most dangerous economic violations inflicting the most harm upon the interests of the state.

According to Mr. Kinyov, in Russia cartels are widely present in all sectors of the economy, particularly, of strategic importance. For instance, in public defence procurement, production and selling natural resources, providing medicinal drugs and food products to the population, as well as public procurement and procurement by companies with state  participation.

Deputy Head of FAS stated that competition-restricting actions or omissions by government officials can be a threat to national security.

He said that “for the past years FAS has exposed around 200 hard-core cartels annually. And nearly the same number of anticompetitive agreements, where the authorities actively participate. Such agreements are much more serious in terms of public danger that hard-core cartels”.

Alexander Kinyov also summed up FAS proposals designed to strengthen Russian national economic security. In particular, FAS proposes to form an inter-branch commission to oppose cartels and other anticompetitive agreements and devise several draft laws that will enhance cooperation between the regulator and law enforcement bodies.

“In the modern economic reality we propose to include the issue of combating cartels and other anticompetitive agreements in the National Security Strategy and work out a long-term programme of measures aimed at excluding  causes and conditions, facilitating anticompetitive agreements”, concluded Deputy Head of FAS.