Antimonopoly regulation

Elena Sokolovskaya has received a personal certificate of honour from the Association of Antitrust Experts (AAE) for her collaboration in and personal contribution to the holding of the 2021 Antitrust Forum On 18 February the AAE held the Antitrust Forum with the support of the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service. Elena Sokolovskaya, a Partner at Pepeliaev Group, moderated the session “Collective dominance: guilty without fault?”

No to Price Parity Online trade is capturing ever more markets and industries. Although current legislation is not always ready for new models of commercial relationships, the antitrust authority is striving to detect and prevent offences in time, including those involving online sales. This is primarily true for digital aggregators and platforms which, in the absence of stringent restrictions, can create additional obstacles for businesses, impose conditions on contracting parties and exert pressure on consumers. Barriers are being put up, for instance, with the assistance of price parity. Let us examine what sort of legal assessment is given to these restrictive practices in Russia and the European Union.

The course remains set on import substitution

The import substitution policy has been actively implemented as a way to address the sanctions since 2014. From then on, the state procurement area has been changed repeatedly, as its legal regulation allows for various restrictive and prohibitive tools to be used as a flexible system of incentives for Russian suppliers. Owing to the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic it has again become a priority to support domestic manufacturers.

Pepeliaev Group has been again recognised as Law Firm of the Year for Tax Law according to Best Lawyers™ 2021* Pepeliaev Group has been again recognised as Law Firm of the Year for Tax Law in Russia according to the major legal ratings directory Best Lawyers™ 2021. Moreover, senior partner and head of Pepeliaev Group's St Petersburg office Sergey Spasennov (M&A) and partner Alexander Kosov (customs law) from the Moscow office were acknowledged as lawyers of the year. 44 lawyers from Pepeliaev Group have been listed in the Best Lawyers rankings™, with eight of them making their debuts.

Antimonopoly rehabilitation

The crisis has made sharper the need for a more efficient use of antimonopoly measures in cases where violations have been committed in socially important spheres such as pharmaceuticals and healthcare. The bad-faith conduct of actors in these markets has become an especially sensitive matter against the backdrop of the severe situation with the coronavirus epidemic. The Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service is closely watching such violations caused by a soaring need for specific categories of goods and services.

Pepeliaev Group secures top ratings in The Legal 500 – 2020 Law firm Pepeliaev Group has demonstrated exceptional results in The Legal 500, the independent international ratings directory. 

Permissible non-competition By incorporating a non-competition clause into an agreement, the parties to it usually seek to prevent any of them from enjoying an advantage. However, this tool, which is essentially aimed at safeguarding competition, may be used unfairly, for example, with a view to forming a cartel. In the Russian Federation, the legislative regulation of non-competition clauses still lacks clarity; therefore, it would be wise to address the experience of the European Union and, before using such tool, to request the relevant assessment from the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service.

Elena Sokolovskaya spoke at the Antimonopoly Forum held by the Russian Corporate Counsel Association On 13 March, the Non-profit Partnership Corporate Counsel Association held its annual Antimonopoly Forum supported by the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service (“FAS”). The experts discussed the most topical issues of antimonopoly legislation and the development of competition.

Pepeliaev Group has demonstrated exceptional results in the Chambers Europe 2020 ratings

Our Tax and Employment Law Practices continue to be named in Band 1. In the individual ratings, the reviewers have given prominent placings to Managing Partner Sergey Pepeliaev (Eminent Practitioner), Partner Julia Borozdna (Band 1) and Head of the IP Practice Valentina Orlova (Band 1). 

The Antimonopoly Club focuses on the anti-cartel package On 27 February 2020 another session of the Antimonopoly Club organised by the Competition and Law journal took place. 

The FAS is closing in on cartels

The antimonopoly service (the “FAS”) has launched a counter-offensive, in terms of both law and methodology, against anticompetitive agreements which are increasingly permeating the state’s strategic and vital spheres, causing enormous damage to the country’s economy.

Nine of Pepeliaev Group’s practice and sector groups have entered Pravo.ru’s Tier 1 Nine of Pepeliaev Group’s practice and sector groups have entered Tier 1 of the Pravo.ru rating. This is the first time that we have been included in Tier 1 of the Compliance (Tier 1) and Environmental Law (Tier 1) categories. In the Digital Economy section, in which we also feature for the first time, Pepeliaev Group has been placed in Tier 2.