MOSCOW — The federal anti-monopoly service has approved the federal bill on natural resources, the agency's press service has reported with reference to a letter that anti-monopoly service chief Igor Artemyev had sent to the natural resources ministry earlier today. At the same time the anti-monopoly service deems it necessary to further discuss anti-monopoly conditions to be specified in the bill during the corresponding debates in the State Duma.

The anti-monopoly service's consent is necessary for the bill to be submitted to the State Duma for consideration on behalf of the government. The anti-monopoly service submitted its opinion on this bill to the Cabinet on February 22, but during a government meeting, it was decided to finalize the document, and the anti-monopoly service had to repeatedly review it in connection with this.

The bill provides for auctions for "through" licenses to develop natural resources, which allow a company that develops a deposit to receive a license for production in the future. In accordance with the bill, non-residents will not be entitled to bid for such licenses. Natural resources minister Yuri Trutnev has said that the new bill's main goal was to regulate the relations between the state and businesses relating to the use of natural resources.