The amendments received a stamp of approval at today's Cabinet session, after Gennady Onishchenko, head of the Federal Service for Controlling Protection of Consumer Rights and Welfare, delivered a keynote speech.
Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov was one of those who spoke against the abolition of tobacco registration. He argued that this move may increase the amount of counterfeit cigarettes. He said the Defense Ministry was doing a lot to promote a healthy lifestyle among those serving in the Russian armed forces and that three years ago, it had started rewarding non-smoking servicemen with candy. But clearly, counterfeit tobacco is even more harmful to people's health than genuine tobacco, and the amendments under discussion will lead to more fakes entering the market, he said.
Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliev echoed the point, noting that both tobacco and cosmetics were sectors highly susceptible to criminality and that the abolition of state registration would prompt a rise in criminal activity.
Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov drew the bottom line, saying the Cabinet should go ahead with formalizing the abolition, but that it must make sure the quality wasn't compromised.
By this gesture, the Cabinet is trying to show that it is in favor of the removal of institutional hurdles for producers, Fradkov said. He stressed, however, that quality control instruments should remain in place.
