MOSCOW, March 12 (RIA Novosti) - The number of bureaucrats in the newly-formed Federal Anti-Monopoly Service (FAS) of Russia will be considerably reduced, as compared with their numbers in the former anti-trust ministry. Igor Artemyev, chief of the new Service, made a statement to this effect Friday.
In his words, at the government's request, personnel cuts will be made mostly in the central apparatus of the former ministry having nearly no effect on its 77 regional branches.
Artemyev also said that he was planning to set up a European-style anti-monopoly service aimed at protecting citizens' interests.
"In many European countries anti-monopoly services are among the main ones within the government. We are also going to enhance the status of our service, since active anti-monopoly policy is the most effective way to create modern and fair economy," Artemyev said.
He rejected the idea to turn the new Anti-Monopoly Service into a law-enforcement agency. "We have too many law-enforcement agencies anyway," he noted.
