On May 16, 2017, Irina Akimova, Of Counsel and Head of the Antitrust practice spoke at the round table “Vital issues of applying antitrust law” which was held within the frameworks of SPBILF 2017. The Antirust Experts Association organized the event.

The work results of the antitrust authority for 2016, draft laws that are being prepared, as well as certain issues of applying substantive and procedural norms of the Federal Law “On protection of competition” were discussed during the round table.

The subject of Irina Akimova’s report pertained to the issues of enhancing the suppression mechanisms for anticompetitive agreements with authorities. Irina analyzed the current situation and noted that during the last years the Russian FAS has annually revealed about 300 cartel and other anticompetitive agreements and another roughly 200 anticompetitive agreements involving authorities. In the first half a year of 2016, the number of cases initiated on anticompetitive agreements with authorities increased by 31%, and total number of such cases in 2016 increased by 15% as compared to the previous year. In Irina’s opinion, elaboration and use of the complex of measures on increasing liability of state officials for violating the antitrust legislation, as well as methodological work, including with judges, are the main factors of success in suppressing anticompetitive agreements with authorities.

The Chairman of the General Council of the Antitrust Experts Associations Anna Albertovna Numerova, Artem Vladimirovich Molchanov, Head of Legal Department of the FAS of Russia, professor of Competition Law Department of the Kutafin Moscow State Law University, as well as representatives of Russian law firms participated in the round table.