OREANDA-NEWS. October 20, 2011. The 19th session of the Headquarters for Joint Investigations of Violations of the Antimonopoly Law of the CIS Member-States was held on 10th October 2011 in Alma-Aty (the Republic of Kazakhstan), reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

The meeting led by Deputy Head of FAS Russia, Anatoly Golomolzin, was attended by representatives of CIS antimonopoly authorities and members of “Promoting Development of Competition in CIS” Non-Commercial Partnership.

The agenda concerned efforts of the Headquarters in the main areas of its activities, in particular, electric power industry, air transportation, telecommunications and retail.

The Headquarters heard a draft report on reforming electric power industry in the CIS states and the role of the antimonopoly bodies in providing competitive conditions on the market of electric power industry, considered a draft Standard Agreement on Air Transportation between the CIS member-states, as well as discussed developing competition on CIS telecommunications market, particularly, execution of the Decision of the Council of the Heads of CIS Governments “On the State of Competition on the Telecommunications Market in the SIC Member-States” of 19th November 2010 (St Petersburg).

The Headquarters paid special attention to the draft Report on the state of competition on the market of retail sales of food products through trade networks, finalized by the competition authorities of Russia and Moldova in view of the decisions of the 18th meeting of the Headquarters of 6th September 2011 in Rostov-on-Don.

Discussing the issue, the Headquarters emphasized changes in the retail market structure associated with development of trade networks in the CIS member-states. Trade networks are increasing their market power, which require protecting end-consumers of food products, ensuring competition on the retail market and regulating relations between trade networks and their suppliers.

Conclusions and proposals formulated in the draft Report are aimed at achieving these objectives, in particular, including a set a measures towards special regulation of trade activities and antimonopoly regulation.

The results of the work of the Headquarters will be reported at 35th session of the Interstate Council for Antimonopoly Policy in Alma-Aty.