SERGEY PUZYREVSKIY: NATIONAL COMPETITION DEVELOPMENT PLAN AND NATIONAL PROJECTS ARE CLOSELY CONNECTED

Reaching a particular national goal depends directly on gaining others

Speaking at a joint session of the Commission on Competition Regulations and Improving the Antimonopoly Law of the Association of Russian Lawyers and FAS Research-and-Methodological Council, Deputy Head of FAS Sergey Puzyrevskiy said: “There must be maximum synchronization in execution of the National Competition Development Plan and National Projects to achieve positive economic transformations. Fulfilling National Projects through pro-competitive models will generate a long-term effect”.

Head of FAS Legal Department Artem Molchanov informed about the progress in devising FAS legislative initiatives to reform natural monopolies.

“There have been no global changes in the system of natural monopolies recently. Transition of some sectors from the state of natural monopoly to the state of competition were not resolved until an order of the President of the Russian Federation on the main directions for competition development that clearly specifies regulation of natural monopolies”, saidArtem Molchanov.

FAS draft law determines several criteria, including a new definition of natural monopoly and presence of network assets. The spheres of such markets and regulatory methods, the types of works and services are delineated. A new mechanism emerges: regulatory agreement that provides conditions for long-term regulation of operations of natural monopolies.

“Decisions on a transition from the state of natural monopoly to the state of competition are based on analysis of the state of competition. In the sectors where state regulation stops, the Government of the Russian Federation can approve the rules for non-discriminatory access to avoid abusing by entities”, pointed out Artem Molchanov.

In follow up of the discussion on natural monopolies, the participants considered price regulation. The experts underlined that the FAS draft law is designed to put to order the system of tariff-setting regulation for all spheres of activities and optimize interaction between the subjects of regulation and the authorities by introducing common standards. They emphasized a modern approach of FAS in view of economic digitalization since the document implements the practice of electronic tariff applications. Applications to the regulators can be formed through automated mechanisms.

“Apart from that, by 1 September 2019, the current tariff law must be amended. By that time, FAS will submit amendments to the Government of the Russian Federation on 17 draft Federal Law, 35 draft Decrees of the Government  and will devise 9 completely fresh draft Decrees of the Government”, added Head of FAS regional Tariff Regulation, Yulia Yudina.

FAS has also drafted a Governmental Decree with an exhaustive list of tariffs subjects to government regulation.

“Earlier, to find out about the list, it was necessary to get through a lot of regulatory acts. After the Governmental Decree is adopted, the entire body of information will be contained in a single document”, added Yulia Yudina.

Deputy Heads of FAS Legal Department Oksana Kuznetsova and Igor Antonov highlighted use of antimonopoly compliance by the authorities and the work on the draft law on antimonopoly compliance that is under discussion by the Government.

Other items analyzed by the participants included performance of the Department for Antimonopoly Regulation and Competition Development, Saratov State University named after Chernyshevsky,  which runs on the basis of Saratov OFAS; compensating losses  in violations of the antimonopoly law, and  the curriculum of the “Antimonopoly Compliance” educational course.