Companies that sell fuel "broke the law"

"The Competition Council has evidence that companies selling fuel, the authorities surveyed in 2005, broke the law", Bogdan Chiriţoiu, the President of the institution said on Thursday.

Competition Council said in a statement that the companies concerned have 30 days to express their views.

"The team believes it has evidence that there was a violation of the law by the companies involved. The party regarding pricing is a broader one. Do you realize that there are years of facts to be analyzed. We try to finish it as soon as possible.

"Obviously, when talking about large companies on the European fuel market I have no barriers and it is not related to a national market only", Bogdan Chiriţoiu, Chairman of the Competition Council, said.

Last year, the National Tax Administration Agency issued a report on fuel producers and distributors, which said that the pump price unduly increased during 2010.

The European Commission supports the findings of the investigation and recommends the sanctioning of the companies surveyed, as the Romanian specialized market is part of the EU.

The highest sanction that the Competition Council may apply is fining a company with 10 percent of its turnover.

The Competition Council has sent the investigation report to the companies involved in order to understand the circumstances of the fuel market.

Sending the report to the investigated companies is only one stage of the investigation procedure and it does not constitute a final decision on the case.

Under the procedure, companies have 30 days to submit written comments on the investigation report.

Consequently, companies have the possibility to express their views at a hearing session, which will take place on 21 December 2011.

Translated by: Iulia Florescu
MA student, MTTLC, Bucharest University