According to the spokesperson for Sredneuralskiy Winery PLC (part of AVS Group), the plant has been idle since the beginning of the year due to the absence of excise labels. Starting January 1, 2006 the amendments to the State Regulation of Ethyl Alcohol, Strong Liquor and Spirit-Based Drink Production and Turnover Act came into effect, which means that all such produce must now bear a new-standard excise label (the old ones are only valid for drinks produced before January 1, 2006). ‘The new bill demands that the enterprise install some equipment and a new software program in order to place

Sverdlovsk Region Court of Arbitration sitting concerning the suit brought by Kamishlovskiy Metalloobrabativayushiy Zavod CJSC (Metalworking plant of Kamishlov) against Eurogreen Financial Investment Company took place on January 11, 2006. As reported earlier, the reason of suing Eurogreen was its violating the shareholders’ selling privilege since the company had sold some shares of Kamishlovskiy Metalloobrabativayushiy Zavod CJSC to someone who isn’t the proprietor of the plant. The sitting was further postponed until February 21, 2006 because of the arrival of a new defendant, A.

According to the regional supplement of one of the largest national newspapers, public prosecution bodies are going to investigate the entrepreneurial activity performed by AVS Group Holding. Valeriy Saveliev, who was elected deputy of Legislative Assembly House of Representatives in 2005, has chaired the Holding since 2003. The Holding comprises over fifteen enterprises.

‘The introduction of antidumping duty on Ukrainian pipes and tubes is going to bring changes onto the Russian market,’ the spokesperson for Uralskaya Trubnaya Kompaniya PLC (Ural Tube Casting Company) told the agency’s representative. It was made clear that such measures could make Russian tube prices soar. ‘This measure could be seen as effective in terms of protecting the Russian makers’ interests, but we would have been better off buying Ukrainian tubes since they are so much cheaper. Naturally, import limits on Ukrainian tubes and pipes means more production and sales done by Russian

A spoliation attempt was made at Ekaterininskiy Privoz market today. ‘At six AM, some officers of the court accompanied by security guards, entered the market forcing our security guards out,’ Director of Ekaterininskiy Privoz Trade Center Sergei Kharlov reports. By nine o’clock, all the equipment, including two hoisting cranes and three long-length lorries had already been placed within the market territory. The market authorities had managed to summon the police and all of the security staff a little earlier, though.. ‘We just had to prevent the officers of the court from taking any further

47 public catering facilities providing room for 1,927 people were built in Yekaterinburg in 2005, which is seven facilities and 386 seats more than had been planned, reported Svetlana Pimenova, Head of Public Catering Department of Yekaterinburg Public Administration Commodities Market Committee. According to Ms Pimenova, 4 facilities fit for 84 people started operating in the city hotels (as opposed to scheduled 14 facilities fir for 844 people) and 21 facilities fit for 1,305 people are now available inside a number of trade centers.

First Public Mineral Oil Quality Control Laboratory based in Ural Standardization, Metrolo gy and Certification Center started operating in Yekaterinburg, GD of Uraltest Federal State Unitary Enterprise Valentin Sursyakov said to the agency’s representative. According to Mr Sursyakov, the laboratory was opened soon after the winter break. The cost of equipment came to about 10 million RUR. Among its clients are some public surveillance bodies that take mineral oil samples at the local and regional filling stations. ‘Sadly, we receive lots of complaints about the oil quality from the drivers,’

‘Starting January 1, 2006 Tagilvodka JSC does not produce anything due to the absence of excise labels demanded by the amendments to the State Regulation of Ethyl Alcohol, Strong Liquor and Spirit-Based Drink Production and Turnover Act. The new bill also demands that the enterprise install some equipment in order to place the bar code onto the labels, but no equipment has been delivered so far,’ Accountant General of Tagilvodka JSC Oleg Silin said. As Mr Silin reports, the winery will not start operating again until February 1, which makes the budgets incur losses of 500,000 to 600,000 RUR

Austrian Airlines are going to set up their subsidiary in Yekaterinburg, with the official presentation taking place in the Atrium Palace Hotel on January 19. President of Austrian Airlines Group is expected to be present. As the spokesperson for Koltsovo Airport told the agency’s representative, Austrian Airlines will be performing Yekaterinburg-Vienna flights starting April 2006.

1,199 open-air trade units were operating in Yekaterinburg on January 1, 2006, as was announced at the Commodities Market Committee sitting headed by Deputy Mayor Chair Viktor Konteev. 74 units were dismantled in 2005, 25 are currently under the court investigation and 174 units are expected to have been dismantled by the end of 2006. Alongside with the dismantling, some renewal projects are being implemented: 48 open-air trade units were renovated in 2005 (as opposed to the scheduled 52) even though the authorities note that the quality of the work leaves much to be desired. 73 units are