Federal Antimonopoly Service head Igor Artemyev is ready to impose draconian rules on state monopolies as an anti-inflationary measure.
Photo: Dmitry Dukhanin
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New Monopolies Law May Be Drafted
A government working group headed by Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Kudrin may consider a Federal Antimonopoly Service proposal to develop a new version of the law “On Natural Monopolies.” FAS head Igor Artemyev described the basic elements of the law as “draconian” in a meeting of the agency. Those elements include treating purchases by state monopolies under the same rules as state purchases and possibly treating purchases by state corporations the same way. Artemyev explained that the monopolies has a negative effect on the economy as a whole. The law may be passed this year.
Antimonopoly measures in the law “On State Purchases” require auctions and competitions for state purchases. Now Gazprom, Transneft, Russian Railways and the Federal Network Co. determine their own purchasing procedures, due to their status as open joint stock companies. Observers say that the FAS is touching on a sphere where the level of corruption is high and that the new law would have a heavy impact on the practices of those companies, which frequently place orders with their own subsidiaries.
RAO UES of Russia press chief Marita Nagoga stated that that company already operates in the manner the FAS is suggesting and that here are government representatives on its competition commission. Russian Railways (much of whose activities are not monopolistic) and Transneft made similar statements. Gazprom, which would be subject to special clauses in the law proposed by Artemyev, declined to comment on it. The FAS and Gazprom have been in conflict for the past four years over rules for access to natural gas infrastructure.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Feb. 28, 2008
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