High price of fuels. Law amend requested

16/02/2015 00:00

The Competition Authority concluded the famous fuel market
investigation, without taking any punishment measure against the
companies under investigation. According to the authority, there was not
enough evidence for a collective punishment.

Although the companies were not punished, the authority admits that the competition in the wholesale import market is not effective. They say the market has been deformed by rules and instructions that are supposed to regulate the market, causing this way a huge cost for citizens. One of these costs is the creation of additional chain links that do not justify the added value.

The authority says these links have caused an artificial cost increase, by damaging citizens through a stiff local market that does not transmit the international price drop.

The Competition Authority has also found out that the fuel market, especially in imports, has a high concentration scale that keeps growing. In this situation, the authority say they are unable to stop abuses from enterprises without support from other institutions.

For these reasons, the institution that guards the competition in our country, asked the government to amend the fuel law, by allowing the wholesale companies to avoid chain links that cause the price increase. The authority also recommended the government to build a special unit that monitors the oil prices in the market, by causing the companies to notify this unit and the authority. The Competition Institution asked the government to evaluate the concession at the Vlora 1 port, which bans concessionary companies from trading fuel.

The decision asks the government to inspect the frequent movements of companies that enter and exit the wholesale market, by generating a dishonest competition.

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