HEAD OF FAS RUSSIA DISCUSSED MEASURES TO SUPPORT ENTREPRENEURS WITH THE ASSOCIATION OF EUROPEAN BUSINESS

During the annual briefing at the AEB site, Maxim Shaskolsky spoke about changes in the approaches of FAS Russia to the implementation of control functions and changes in legislation

As Maxim Shaskolsky noted, in 2022 the Government of the Russian Federation significantly limited the grounds for conducting inspections by all authorities. Now inspections are carried out only on behalf of the Government of the Russian Federation or the Prosecutor's office. This measure helps to reduce the administrative burden on entrepreneurs, and it is expected to be extended for 2023.

At the same time, the moratorium on inspections does not mean withdrawal of control by FAS Russia. The authority continues to review allegations and materials on violation of antimonopoly legislation, and takes appropriate response measures.

In addition, FAS Russia has simplified the procedure for approving transactions of economic concentration. The new procedure applies to transactions with assets from 800 million to 2 billion rubles, as well as transactions with financial organizations – in this case, companies will only need to notify FAS Russia about the fact of the transaction. At the same time, FAS Russia retains the possibility of issuing an order if a restriction of competition is revealed as a result of the transaction.

Besides, changes in advertising legislation concerning the system of accounting for advertising on the Internet were discussed during the meeting. The changes provide for the creation of advertising data operators, which are charged with the obligation to assign identifiers (labeling) for all advertising on the Internet. According to FAS Russia, reference information about goods or services provided posted on the official website of the manufacturer or seller is not advertising and is not subject to labeling.

Maxim Shaskolsky and representatives of the Association also discussed issues of regulation in the market of medicines, retail trade and foreign investment. At the end of the meeting, Maxim Shaskolsky thanked the Association of European Business for long-term cooperation and proposed to send the initiatives announced by the member companies of the Association to FAS Russia for further elaboration.