09 June 2004 14:49
Russian deputy PM calls for better laws to protect competition
Moscow, 9 June: Russia's laws on competition protection should be improved, Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr
Zhukov told the Federal Antimonopoly Service on Tuesday [8 June].
It is essential to reinforce the preventive functions of the antimonopoly agencies on protecting companies against
monopolies, Zhukov said. Also, an aggressive policy aimed at market demonopolization is needed, he added. Zhukov also
proposed to toughen penalties for the infringement of the principles of free competition. Therefore, it is important to
increase fines so that they tally with the damage that a monopolist may cause to other market players, Zhukov said.
The laws should also ban the selective granting of benefits to certain companies, Zhukov said, adding that the
government is now trying to liquidate all unjustified benefits.
Since the government does not interfere in companies' operations, the antimonopoly service has become the main
agency for the state regulation of the economy, he noted.
[Prime-TASS news agency] |
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