The oil sellers created “a state in the state”, while the crisis on the oil products market is artificial, said former Deputy Speaker of Parliament Alexandru Slusari and economist Veaceslav Ioniță. According to them, the oil sellers try to impose their own rules as the regulatory institutions are inefficient, IPN reports.
According to the ex-Deputy Speaker, the law on the oil products market that was adopted at the end of the previous parliamentary session is imperfect, but is necessary.
“There are technical and legal aspects that generate confusion. But the idea of adjusting the prices of oil products in the Republic of Moldova to the international quotations is correct. It’s clear that the oil sellers do not like this. Seeing this governmental chaos with an inefficient Competition Council, they try to keep the whole country hostage. They created this artificial crisis, blaming the methodology. The Platts quotations during four days have declined, while they continue raising prices,” Alexandru Slusari stated in the talk show “Secrets of the Power” on JurnalTV channel.
For his part, economist Veaceslav Ioniță said the National Agency for Energy Regulation (NAER) acts in collusion with the large oil companies and pursues the goal of eliminating the small owners of filling stations from the market.
“Through the agency of the legislation, they try to stage a raider attack on small oil sellers and to buy their assets at derisory prices. The small companies simply go bankrupt as the profit margin is not equitable. NAER favors several large, transnational companies by this margin. This will lead to the destruction of the small ones, the purchase of assets at very low prices and the establishment of large companies,” stated the economist.
The Party of Action and Solidary on July 27 held public consultations on the bill on the oil products market that reviews the legislation adopted by the previous legislative body.
“This is a draft. We aim to correct the flaws from the law adopted in the previous session by this bill. The fuel prices should be correct and we need a regulatory institution that applies the law and protects the public interest,“ said MP Sergiu Litvinenco, PAS vice president.
Under the current law, NAER sets fuel price ceilings depending on the quotations on the international market, excise duties, VAT and the profit margin.
