OREANDA-NEWS. On June 22, 2009 the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia) found that the Union of Insurers of St Petersburg and North-West violated Part 3 Article 11 of the Federal Law "On Protection of Competition" (coordination of economic activities of market participants - medical institutions on the market of voluntary medical insurance, which can result in maintaining prices for medical services), reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

Investigating the case, FAS Russia established that in the beginning of 2009 the Union of Insurers of St Petersburg and North-West sent letters to all medical institutions operating on the market of voluntary medical insurance in Ast Petersburg, proposing to fix the prices for medical services for 2009 at the level of 1st January 2009.

The medical institutions that did not supports the proposal made by the Union of Insurers of St Petersburg and North-West received another letter from the Union with a warning on possible measures to be undertaken by insurance companies against those medical institutions if they did not fix prices for medical services. As a possible reaction to refusal to implement the requirements for fixing the prices for medical services, the Union of Insurers of St Petersburg and North-West indicated: "...redirecting the flow of insured persons to other medical institutions".

To eliminate the violation, FAS Russia issued a determination to the Union requesting it to stop coordinating economic activities of medical institutions by withdrawing the letters with the proposals for fixing prices for medical services.

Part 3 Article 11 of the Federal Law "On Protection of Competition" prohibits coordination of economic activities between physical persons, commercial organisations and not-profit organisations, if such coordination results or can result in the consequences specified in Part 1 Article 11 of the Federal Law.

Clause 1 Part 1 Article 11 of the Federal Law "On Protection of Competition" prohibits agreements between economic entities or concerted actions between economic entities on the goods market if such agreements or concerted actions result or can result in fixing or maintaining prices (tariffs), discounts, additions to prices (surcharges) or mark-ups.