OREANDA-NEWS. January 17, 2012. Came into force the Federal Law “On Introducing Amendments to the Federal Law “On Protection of Competition” and Some Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation” and the Federal Law “On Introducing Amendments to the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Violations” that constitute the “third antimonopoly package”, reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

The main changes put forward by the “third antimonopoly package” are aimed at clarifying requirements to anticompetitive agreements and concerted actions, clarifying criteria of monopolistically high price and formalising the right of the Government of the Russian Federation to determine the rules of non-discriminatory access to infrastructure facilities of natural monopolies, as well as clarifying the procedures for state control over economic concentration and the procedures for investigating cases on violating the antimonopoly law.

Changes to the Federal Law “On Protection of Competition” give the antimonopoly authority the right to issue warnings to companies’ executives who make public statements about proposed market conduct if such statements can lead to violating the antimonopoly law.

The “third antimonopoly package” also gives the antimonopoly authority the right to issue a warning to an economic entity that has dominant position to stop actions (omissions), which have certsin signs of violating the antimonopoly law.

The Federal Law “On Protection of Competition” is added a new Article 18 that establishes an administrative procedure for investigating complaints against actions (omissions) of an organiser of competitive bidding, an operator of an electronic site, a tender commission or an auction commissions in course of organising competitive bidding, concluding contracts upon the outcome of tenders / auctions, if tenders / auctions that are mandatory under the law of the Russian Federation are declared void.

The “third antimonopoly package” clarifies criminal liability for violating the antimonopoly law and some procedural norms that determine the proceedings on administrative cases.