Russian Government Sets Restrictions on and Conditions for Medicines Which Are on the List of Vital and Essential Medicines to Be Admitted for Public Procurement Pepeliaev Group advises that, on 10 December 2015, a Resolution of the Russian Government (the 'Resolution') will take effect that sets restrictions on and conditions for the medicines which are on the list of vital and essential medicines to be admitted for the purposes of state and municipal procurement. 

Staff leasing: Rostrud is already accepting applications for accrediting PEAs Further to our alerts regarding the ban on ”zayomniy trud” in Russia, please be informed that the applications for accrediting private employment agencies to have the right to provide employees’ (personnel’s) labour are already being accepted by Rostrud.
The new requirements of the legislation are to come into effect from 1 January 2016. No extension of the date is expected.

The Fourth Antimonopoly Package: What Should Market Players Expect? Pepeliaev Group advises of substantial amendments to the Law "On Protection of Competition".

The fourth antimonopoly package contains a number of substantial amendments which may affect the operations of all market players. Most of the amendments to Federal Law No. 135-FZ dated 26 July 2006 "On Protection of Competition" (the "Law") and certain legislative acts of the Russian Federation are to come into effect on 5 January 2016. We have analysed the most important of these amendments.

Russia`s Federal Tax Service has a new blacklist Pepeliaev Group advises that a draft has appeared of a new blacklist of offshore jurisdictions. 

Joining the Federal Industry Agreement for companies in the chemical, petrochemical, biotechnological and chemical and pharmaceutical industries in Russia for 2016-2018 At federal level, the industry tariff agreement has been adopted which sets additional obligations and automatically extends to companies in Russia's chemical industry. To refuse to join the agreement, a well-grounded refusal should be submitted to the Russian Ministry of Labour by 20 November 2015.

On 22 October 2015, Rossiyskaya Gazeta published a Letter of the Russian Ministry of Labour and Social Protection (the "Ministry") about joining the Federal Industry Agreement for Companies in the Chemical, Petrochemical, Biotechnological and Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industries for 2016-2018 (the "Agreement").  

The Supreme Court has clarified certain issues relating to the bankruptcy of individuals Pepeliaev Group advises: On 13 October 2015, the Russian Supreme Court adopted its Plenum’s Resolution No. 45 "On certain issues relating to procedures being brought into effect to be used in insolvency (bankruptcy) proceedings involving individuals". This clarifies how specific provisions of Federal Law No. 127-FZ "On insolvency (bankruptcy)" should be implemented. The provisions in question came into force on 1 October 2015 and regulate the bankruptcy of individuals.

A draft law to improve VAT Pepeliaev Group advises that Russian Ministry of Finance has placed, for public consultation a draft law "On amending Chapter 21 of Part II of the Russian Tax Code (regarding the procedure for determining the tax base when an advance payment is received). 

Joining the Federal Industial Agreements regarding russian timber companies for 2015-2017 At the federal level, industrial agreements have been adopted setting additional obligations and automatically extending to companies engaged in the timber industry in Russia. To refuse to join the agreements, companies should submit well-grounded refusals to the Russian Ministry of Labour and Social Protection (the "Ministry of Labour") by 8 October 2015.

From 1 October, new rules have been in force for registering (re-registering) the maximum selling prices of medicines included in the List of Vital and Essential Medicines Pepeliaev Group advises that the Russian Government has adopted a Resolution (the "Resolution") which has amended the rules for registering and re-registering the maximum selling prices for manufacturers of medicines included in the List of Vital and Essential Medicines ("VEM"). The Resolution also provides for a new method for calculating such prices .

The Resolution came into effect on 1 October 2015. 

A few months remain until staff leasing is banned in Russia Pepeliaev Group reminds you that, as early as on 1 January 2016, the ban on using ‘staff leasing’ (in Russian ‘zayomny trud’) is to take effect.

How the court treats the losses of merged companies Pepeliaev Group advises that merging a loss-making company into a profitable one and including the former's losses in the form of negative exchange rates in the expenses of a profitable company may be recognised by the courts as actions aimed at obtaining an unjustified tax benefit.

Russian Code of Administrative Court proceedings comes into force Pepeliaev Group reminds you that the Code of Administrative Court Procedure of the Russian Federation (the 'Russian Code of Administrative Court Proceedings') takes effect on 15 September 2015.