Competition Council To Complete Fuel Market Probe By Midyear

04.12.2011 By Andrei Circhelan

The Romanian Competition Council’s investigation of the local fuel market should be complete in the first half of the year, and the results will be sent to the European Commission, the authority's president Bogdan Chiritoiu said Tuesday.

The Romanian Competition Council's investigation of the local fuel market should be complete in the first half of the year, and the results will be sent to the European Commission, the authority's president Bogdan Chiritoiu said Tuesday.

"We expect the investigation to be complete by mid-2011, and after we send it to the European Commission, we will have a reaction from them and hear out all parties involved. After that, we will make a decision," Chiritoiu told a news conference.

However, Chiritoiu added, the Romanian Competition Council cannot interfere with prices in the market, and it can only ensure the efficient functioning of markets, where companies set prices on their own.

The fuel market investigation started in 2005, and it was refreshed in 2009 when the case team was changed.