The Competition Council is constantly monitoring developments in the fuel distribution sector, to ensure that price changes are determined by objective factors, Competition Council president Bogdan Chiritoiu said on Monday.
"We are constantly monitoring developments in the fuel distribution sector, including price movements and the commercial behavior of operators, to ensure that any price changes are driven by objective factors. We do not want to see traders taking advantage of the international context to raise prices unjustifiably," Chiritoiu told AGERPRES.
He noted that the price of a barrel of oil is currently below 80 dollars, a level similar to that of the same period last year. However, given the tensions generated by the ongoing conflicts, additional fluctuations on international markets remain possible.
"In this situation, we expect pump prices to reflect any increases in international quotations, but based on past experience, such adjustments tend to be moderate and temporary," the president of the competition watchdog explained.
He added that if any violations of competition law are identified, the necessary procedures for sanctions will be initiated.
Energy Minister Bogdan Ivan stated on Monday that speculation about diesel or gasoline reaching 10 RON per liter is "an outright lie", as there is currently no rational, commercial, or economic basis for such a price level.
"At the moment, our main concern are the potential disruptions in the oil products supply market and ensuring that fuel prices do not rise unjustifiably, given the conflict in the Middle East. (...) We have discussed this with all market operators, and we have backup emergency stocks (...) that can be used if needed and can ensure supply for the Romanian market for around 90 days. But we are not in such a situation. Moreover, all terminals and storage facilities in Romania currently hold enough fuel to maintain normal flows without disruptions," Ivan said.
He pointed out that international oil prices have risen by roughly 10%, but since crude oil accounts for only about 25% of the final fuel price, the potential for significant increases is limited.
"What is very important - and what I explicitly asked the National Consumer Protection Authority, the National Tax Administration Agency, and the Competition Council to do - is to closely monitor the market to ensure that this international context is not used by some economic actors for speculative purposes. At this moment, an increase of more than 3 - 5 bani at the pump is not justified. And the speculation circulating in the public space about diesel or gasoline reaching 10 RON is an outright lie. I want to completely disavow it, because there is currently no rational, commercial, or economic argument for pump prices to reach 10 RON or anything close to that," Ivan concluded.
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