The Federal Antimonopoly Service intends to reform the market of funeral services. The amendments are designed to ensure competition, which consequently ensures the relatives of the dead receive quality services at affordable prices. To protect consumers from «black pohoronschikov» market participants will be required to join the CPO (the builders) and follow the rules of ethics of the funeral. The draft law on such a reform on March 29 was submitted for public discussion.
Barriers to competition in the market of funeral services now, according to the antimonopoly authority, established by the law «On the burial and funeral business.» In particular, the activities of disposal, organizing and conducting the ceremony of farewell, on the transportation of the body may provide only specialized service:
«In this case, the relatives of the dead have no right to choose how to better services and quality control capabilities and the right to compensation for moral damage caused by dishonest actions of specialized services,» — Believe in FAS.
Another factor that monopolizes the market, there is limited access to state-owned companies competing on a cemetery. Moreover, a large share of services is on the «black market» — citizens who are not entrepreneurs, they offer low prices, however, according to the FAS, the quality of their services does not meet the standards.
To prevent violations have proposed to allow funeral services to all business entities, but on two conditions — membership in the self-regulatory organization, and compliance with a number of objective requirements (special equipment, education, etc.). The authorities prohibited to grant special status separate entities to provide funeral services.
Market participants are also required to comply with the rules of ethics of the funeral, in particular — are not appropriate not to impose the will of the deceased and other religious rituals, symbols and music, do not apply to the bereaved persons with proposals for the provision of funeral services, maintain the confidentiality of information about the facts of the death of the citizen and etc. According to FAS, except antitrust component of the introduction of such measures carry the ethical and humanitarian basis of protecting the rights of citizens.
The draft law is regulated by the content and order of cemeteries, in particular obliges municipalities to once every five years to carry out an inventory of graves and allow for a «nationalization» orphan graves. They can be installed special information plate, and if the relatives buried for three years did not confirm the desire to preserve the grave, it can be used again. Re-burial at the memorial, war memorials and military cemeteries are not allowed.
Also allowed the establishment of private cemeteries. They can be located on land which is leased by a private company or an entrepreneur (the operator of the cemetery) for a period of not less than 49 years. With this control over their activities, maintenance of registers and other remains of the municipal administrations.
The first stage of the reform of the FAS intends to complete by early 2013.