The motorists on June 16 staged a new protest against the fuel prices, which they consider too high. These parked their vehicles in the Great National Assembly Square of Chisinau, IPN reports.

The protesters demanded that Parliament should adopt a new law by which to eliminate the excise duties on oil products and to decrease the import duties on fuels to the level of duties imposed on the import of products considered basic necessities.

Following the rises in fuel prices announced by the National Agency for Energy Regulation Agency on May 29, mobilized through social networking sites, automobilists mounted two protests even if the Agency on June 1 suspended its decision and restored the price ceilings announced on May 15 at the request of Prime Minister Pavel Filip.

The Agency on June 12 announced the new fuel price ceilings for June 13-26, but its order was suspended later the same day by the Buiucani branch of the Court of Chisinau, following a lawsuit filed by the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure.

On June 13, the Agency said the fuel price ceiling were decreased to those announced on May 15, which is 19.15 lei per liter of gasoline and 17.09 lei per liter of diesel fuel.

In a comment for IPN, Sergiu Gaibu, programs director at the Institute for Development and Social Initiative “Viitorul”, said the fuel prices should be reduced and the instrument by which the state can do this is to set reasonable excise duties. But this depends on the approach of the authorities, which often invoke the fact that the excise duties and prices in Europe are higher. Therefore, a complex approach is required, which should first of all take into account the population’s incomes. Being a small country, the Republic of Moldova cannot control all the flows at the border. Given that the economy is open, the prices should be correlated with those in the immediate vicinity of the Republic of Moldova, including the region that is not controlled by the Moldovan authorities, where the prices are lower.