PM Putin to get tough on monopolies

The government will use anti-monopoly laws to improve competition in Russian business. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin discussed an action plan with Russian entrepreneurs. He called for tougher penalties – singling out the natural monopolies.

“Special attention should be paid to such sectors where violations of competition rules have become systematic. This directly hurts the interests of our citizens and creates serious obstacles for business development. I mean pricing on aviation fuel, the conditions of access to power grids, the market for coking coal, oil products, as well as housing and utilities – these are the sectors to blame for violations.”