A conference devoted to the new federal law on retail markets took place in Yekaterinburg on April 2, 2007.

‘It will be easier for us to monitor the municipal markets due to the general market location plan and detailed product-based plans for each market. All the management companies have been registered by now, so they will get their licenses in June 2007. We have already conducted a number of inspections, and we’ll see to it that there are more of them in the future. Each inspection, however, must be well planned. We need not only to punish but also to explain the mistakes and how to avoid them,’ said Deputy Mayor Viktor Konteev.

The new law aims to protect local farmers and sole traders and to decrease the number of illegal immigrants.