On 28 October 2010 St Petersburg hosted the thirty-fifth plenary session of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly attended by the parliamentary delegations of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly member states. The plenary session of the Assembly adopted the model laws prepared by the standing commissions of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly, including The Law On Joint Stock Companies. Dmitry Stepanov, partner at EPAM, was actively engaged in preparing the draft of this document.

CIS Interparliamentary Assembly mainly focuses on the alignment and harmonizing the laws of the CIS member states. As a result of these activities, model legislative acts and recommendations adopted by the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly are based on the experience of the Commonwealth member states' parliaments and international parliamentary organizations.

Standard (model) laws of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly meet the most progressive, primarily European, legal standards and best business practices, adapted to individual CIS member states. Hence, adoption of the national laws by the CIS member states' parliaments, based on the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly legislative acts, not only ensures harmonization and alignment of the Commonwealth laws, but also assists in bringing these national laws in compliance with the best samples of the European law.

Dmitry Stepanov, partner at EPAM, is a member of a working group responsible for developing the model law on shareholders for the CIS countries. Currently, the Model law development has been completed and its developers are preparing a commentary clarifying political and legal choices made in resolving specific tasks that are reflected in the draft legislation.