OREANDA-NEWS. On March 23, 2009 the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia) found that the Office of Rospotrebnadzor (the Federal Service on Control over Consumer Rights and Human Well-Being) in the Kemerovo region, the Office of Rostechnadzor (the Federal Service for Ecological, Technical and Nuclear Control) in the Kemerovo region, and the Central Department of the Russian Ministry for Civil Defense, Emergency Situations and Relief of Natural Disasters (MChS Russia) in the Kemerovo region in the person of the Novokuznetsk City Department of State Fire Control violated Part 1 Article 15 of the Federal Law "On Protection of Competition", reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

The case was initiated upon a petition of "Kuznetsk Cement Works" Production Company" Ltd.

Regional Offices of Rospotrebnadzor and Rostechnadzor and the Bodies of State Fire Control in the Kemerovo region violated the antimonopoly legislation by unreasonably preventing activities of economic entities which resulted in removing "Kuznetsk Cement Works" Production Company" Ltd. from the cement market.

FAS Russia will prepare the decision and determination on the case within the statutory period.

The determinations to the violators will include several measures aimed at supporting competition on the cement market, in particular, resuming activities of "Kuznetsk Cement Works" Production Company" Ltd. in absolute compliance with the environmental legislation.

Proceedings against the Kemerovo Regional Authority, the Novokuznetsk City Authority, the Novokuznetsk City Council of People’s Deputies, the Office of Rospotrebnadzor in the Kemerovo region, the Office of Rostechnadzor in the Kemerovo region, and, the Central Department of the Russian Ministry for Civil Defense, Emergency Situations and Relief of Natural Disasters (MChS Russia) in the Kemerovo region initiated, upon the signs of violating Article 16 of the Federal Law "On Protection of Competition", were closed because the Commission was not able to prove the fact of concerted actions.

"Each of the controlling bodies was guided by pieces of their "own" legislation, and it ultimately put the company in a desperate position. The FAS Russia’s Commission concluded that in this case the environmental authorities set excessive requirements", summarized Andrey Tsyganov, Deputy Head of FAS Russia.