The law on the oil products market should ensure a balance between the interests of consumers and the functionality of the oil system. Oil sellers, experts and interested persons formulated proposals in the public consultations centering on the amendments to the aforementioned law. According to them, the methodology and the specific profit margin should be reviewed, IPN reports.
NAER director Eugen Carpov said the new bill represents a very good basis, with elements that restore the initial logic that the prices should be capped by the National Agency for Energy Regulation, not by each company, and that full transparency and correctness in price formation should be ensured so that no one has questions.
Ana Groza, executive director of the Foreign Investors Association, said the excessive regulation of the market is not accepted considering the international commitments and the constitutional provisions. Given the insistence on the capping of prices, the Association will help draft the amendments so as to ensure a better quality of the bill. One of the proposals is for the specific profit margin for the immediate period, the next calendar year, to be adjusted also to the impact of the consumer price index and the currency exchange rate. The specific profit margin should include all the relevant variable and fixed costs of companies, the primary transportation margin, including transportation up to stations, storage and manipulation costs and mandatory additional costs.
Cornel Constantinescu, of Petrom Moldova, said an optimization coefficient is not needed. If a company has larger costs, it will be automatically obliged to reduce the prices. Those who had lower costs already resorted to optimization.
Mariana Solomon, of Bemol Retail, noted the notion “wholesale buyer” is not appropriate. The own extensive consumption creates a nontransparent practice – the phenomenon of mini-filling stations. This is a defective approach that determines sales outside any regulations and licensing. This creates discriminatory conditions on the wholesale market. The company considers the prices should be set by NAER once in 15 days. This way, consumers will feel the effect of regulations.
Energy expert Victor Parlicov said he disapproves of the proposal to reduce the storage space from 5,000 tonnes to 1,000 tonnes, noting this is against the tendency to transpose the directive concerning the security of stocks. Not only storage spaces, but also stocks are needed and not 5,000 tonnes, but for 60 days, in accordance with the EU Directive.
The law on the capping of oil prices was promulgated by President Maia Sandu on May 5, 2021. Then, President Sandu said the law contains confusing provisions that were probably introduced intentionally by particular MPs, but she decided to sign it as it was so that it is amended immediately after the elections. The new Parliament will have to improve the law and to bring things in the field in order together with the Government.
