OREANDA-NEWS. On May 07, 2007 the Office of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (OFAS Russia) in the Kursk Region recognized that the Rostechnadzor Regional Office on Technological and Environmental Inspection violated Article 15 of the Federal Law "On Competition", reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.


The breach was described as assigning the power of an executive authority (Rostechnadzor) to study environmental projects documentation and give related conclusions for issuing Rostechnadzor permissions - to an economic entity - (the Kursk branch of the Federal State Enterprise "Centre of Laboratory Analysis and Technical Measurement in the Central Federal District" ("FGU TsLATI"). Kursk OFAS Russia concluded that FGU TsLATI would be empowered to participate in Rostechnadzor decision-making based on the results of studying environmental projects documentation, which is devised by other economic entities. Those economic entities compete with FGU TsLATI on the market of drawing-up environmental documentation.


Kursk OFAS Russia requested that the Rostechnadzor Regional Office on Technological and Environmental Inspection should cancel its orders on assigning the rights and functions of executive authority to an economic entity. Earlier FAS Russia inspected the compliance with the antimonopoly legislation and revealed similar violations committed by the Rostechnadzor Regional Office on Technological and Environmental Inspection and the branch of the Federal State Enterprise "Centre of Laboratory Analysis and Technical Measurement in the Privolzhsky Federal District" in the Bashkortostan Republic. The above organizations voluntarily eliminated the violations.


"Analysis of materials received by FAS Russia and in possession of its regional offices demonstrates the need to carry out country-wide inspections", - said Nikolai Zolotukhin, Deputy Head of FAS Russia Directorate on Control and Supervision in Construction, Natural Resources and Housing & Utility Services. FAS Russia plans to send an Information Letter to its regional offices describing the situation on the market of environmental works and services.