OREANDA-NEWS. March 13, 2012. Representatives of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia) Timophei Nizhegorodtsev and Maksim Ovchinnikov took part in the Round Table “The Key Issues of Antimonopoly Regulation in Auto Business”, where they outlined the shortcomings of practices of car sales and after-sale servicing, used by car distributors in Russia, that were exposed by FAS. Representatives of the Antimonopoly Service also discussed approaches to determining dominant position of economic entities operating on the market of wholesale car sales, reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

Representatives of “Russian Automobile Dealers” Association in general approved the initiative of the Federal Antimonopoly Service; however, they expressed concerns regarding dramatic changes of the rules of market performance, which, in their opinion, can result in adverse consequences for the participants.

In their presentations, FAS representatives emphasized that such concerns of members of the Car Dealers Association were exaggerated as the measures proposed by the Antimonopoly Service are designed to provide transparent and non-discriminatory conditions for functioning of market participants, as well as to protect the rights of dealers and their investors. Moreover, the proposed measures confirm to the international experience and shall be formed in view of the balance of interests of consumers, dealers and car manufacturers (their official distributors in Russia).

“Some of the proposals announced by FAS Russia have been wrongly interpreted by market participants. The Antimonopoly Service does not propose to forcibly separate dealer and service centres, we only propose to create equal conditions for obtaining the status of an authorized service centre by market participants that do not have the infrastructure for car sales, which would create favourable conditions for developing competition on the market of servicing and warranty maintenance”, clarified Maksim Ovchinnikov.

FAS representatives assured the Round Table participants, that in order to account specifics of market performance of the market of wholesale car sales, approaches to its regulation shall be developed with involvement of representatives of the above group of interests, as well as representatives of the expert community.

“We follow the way of the European Commission. Undoubtedly, we should use the best international practices, taking into account specifics of institutional environment in Russia”, emphasized Mr. Ovchinnikov.